Voyeur
by LiquidCaliban
Summary: Wanda finds herself noticing more than she wants due to her mind-reading powers as she integrates with the team. Romanogers.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: The usual legalese that means we know we're operating in a grey area but everyone chooses to look the other way because we're just having fun.

Spoilers: Through the end of AoU. Then diverging into the same, minus o. I shouldn't try to be coy. It's AU after AoU, which is what you wanted to know.

Pairing: Romanogers. Didja see my avatar?

Summary: Wanda is settling into her new role as an Avenger, though it's hard for someone with telepathic powers to get too comfortable, especially when your bedroom shares a wall with Natasha's. In three to five parts. We'll see.

* * *

Wanda Maximoff dropped into a seat on the quinjet, brushing the dirt and leaves from her hair as she waited for the cabin to stop spinning. This had been the team's second attempt to bring in the Winter Soldier, or Bucky, as Steve constantly reminded them to call him. Naming conventions had caused a slight argument during the mission briefing when Natasha had insisted on referring to him as the Winter Soldier on the logic that he didn't get to be Bucky until he actually _was_ Bucky again. Sam had taken Steve's side, Rhodey Natasha's and Vision had posed an existential question about the nature of identity that had allowed Hill to retake control of the briefing before Wanda had been asked to take a side.

Although she was uniquely situated to comment on mind-control and brainwashing, she hadn't been sure what her response would have been at the time. Now, after a blow to the head sustained while attempting to employ her powers to she was supposed to be using to help the Winter Soldier become Bucky again, she was fully in agreement with Natasha. Wanda could hear her yelling somewhere outside, Steve responding in kind as the rest of the team trudged up the ramp. Rhodey stepped out of his armor and took his seat in the pilot's chair while Vision helped Sam take off his wingpack. As the jet powered up, Rhodey called back, "Someone tell the odd couple we're about to leave without them."

Sam leaned his head down the opening. "Wheels up, lovebirds!"

Natasha was scowling as she limped up the ramp and hit the button to raise it, nearly dumping Steve into the jet. He barely noticed, regaining his balance easily and grabbing her arm to turn her toward him as the jet lifted off. "If he was in his right mind, he would never…"

"No! No more justifications, Rogers! I've encountered this good buddy of yours four times and he's shot me three! Unless that's some kind of charming 40s greeting you haven't told us about, I'm maintaining that he's a dangerous…"

. "…brainwashed, confused former agent of Hydra?" he interrupted her, something only he or Fury could do without risking bodily harm as a consequence. "You frightened him! He didn't know we'd driven off the Hydra thugs coming after him and I was talking him down when you popped up out of nowhere and…"

"And he shot me! Again! After he'd already taken one of our teammates out of action!"

Wanda wanted to indicate that she appreciated the acknowledgement without involving herself in the argument. She settled for a weak wave.

Steve gave her a dismissive thumbs-up without turning away from Natasha. "Wanda will be fine. She's with us, where she can get treatment, but Bucky…"

"Fought off a Hydra squad…"

"A _weak_ Hydra squad."

"…with our help, then started pounding us." Natasha folded her arms across her chest, tugging out of Steve's grasp now that their ascent had leveled off. "We can't keep doing this. It's not working."

"Uh, you want to put some pressure on that, Nat?" Sam suggested, having stowed his wingpack and opened the first aid kit. Wanda vaguely considered helping, but she was starting to feel a bit groggy. A metal fist to the skull was something she would have to avoid in the future. Sam lurched past her with a handful of gauze; he knelt and pressed it against Natasha's thigh. "Don't mind me, just keep fighting."

"We can't let Hydra capture him," Steve continued as if taking Sam at his word. "And I almost had him back. I could see it in his eyes. Then you're there, guns drawn."

"Because you don't bother protecting yourself around him!"

"I don't need protection from Bucky!"

"Oh, right. I'm sorry, I guess you've forgotten the time he put you in the hospital with multiple gunshot wounds and a beating that would have killed a normal man!"

"I remember," Sam muttered, still providing unnoticed medical attention.

"He's not under Hydra control anymore. He's trying to figure it out and he just needs help."

"Damn it, Steve…"

Wanda found herself singing out, "Language!" in chorus with Sam and Rhodey, a habit they'd picked up from Natasha and, on his frequent visits to HQ, Stark. After a final glare, Steve stalked toward the pilot's chair to speak quietly with Rhodey while Sam coaxed Natasha to sit so he could bandage her thigh properly.

The soft droning of the jet's engines was the only sound until Vision took a seat beside Wanda, calling her out of her daze. "It strikes me as very odd that a well-timed reminder about using certain words almost always diffuses a potentially volatile situation."

"I believe it is what is called a running gag." She glanced at him, sensing some of his usual mixture of wonder and confusion when faced with interpersonal interactions. "Of course, the tension is still there."

"That I can see. May I treat your injury?"

She closed her eyes as Vision gently cleaned and dressed the gash on her scalp. Her mind drifted back to the mission she had been trying to accomplish when she had been hurt – get into the Winter Soldier's mind and try to unlock his memories. She wasn't entirely comfortable with that particular aspect of her powers now that she was no longer under the exclusive influence of blind anger, Strucker or Ultron.

Strangely, she hadn't realized that telepathy was unique power until she had begun to develop it for the purposes of mental manipulation for Hydra. She had always known what Pietro was thinking, even before Strucker's enhancements. It had been natural for them. She missed his voice, out loud and in her head. Of course, she now had plenty of other voices to either listen to or ignore.

It turned out that, when she wasn't directly controlling it, her telepathy acted like a highly evolved form of empathy. Feelings were like clouds surrounding people that she could access via proximity. Sometimes it happened because people were thinking loudly, as she had dubbed it; their focus, emotion or intensity was so extreme she couldn't help but hear them, sometimes be overcome by their rage, frustration, happiness, love…

That was her favorite. When she walked between two people who loved each other – it could be a couple, a parent and child, siblings – she could feel the warmth of love coursing through her, as if the feeling were a physical link bonding and surrounding the individuals. She had first understood that it wasn't just something that existed between her and Pietro during the time they had roamed Sokovia after escaping the Hydra lab but before Ultron had come.

The elderly couple holding hands as they walked slowly down the street had been her favorite experience, a golden glow that filled her for a moment with a shared lifetime of experience and closeness that had only increased the depth of their love over the years. She had wanted to follow them, to absorb as much of that luminous warmth as possible, but Pietro had called to her and she had lost sight of them. She sometimes wondered if they had survived the battle, if she would ever encounter that beautiful love again.

Or course, it could be hard sometimes. She had once passed a couple arguing in the market and the man's warmth had been met by a frosty chill from the woman. Unrequited love or a crumbling relationship, Wanda had never been sure. Her own experiences were sadly limited.

"Wanda?"

She blinked and wondered where she was for a moment before turning to Vision. "You bandaged me. Thank you."

"Quite some time ago. You have been a million miles away, as they say, though I am not sure the distance is significant. Though further than the distance to the moon, it would be irrelevant to other celestial objects in our orbit. I suppose the philosophical analogy of Russell's Teapot could be applied under the circumstances, though I doubt…"

"How long have I been out?"

"Yes, pertinent information. You have been sleeping deeply or unconscious – there has been some debate as to which – for nearly three hours. We will be landing within thirty minutes, when competent medical professionals will make an assessment."

"Hm." She meant to continue the conversation, but she was distracted by a scene occurring across the aisle.

Steve was kneeling in front of Natasha, holding some rolled and padded gauze. "You're bleeding through your dressing."

"Yeah."

He gently lifted her boot to his bent knee. "So we need to apply another one."

"Whatever."

He worked quietly and quickly, applying the fresh gauze over the bloodied. "Am I hurting you?"

Wanda felt a jolt in her stomach as Natasha replied, "Yes."

Steve began to move his hands more carefully. Had she not felt so awful herself, Wanda would have screamed out at his obliviousness. Natasha simply allowed him to continue working on her leg.

When they arrived at Avengers' HQ, Natasha accepted Sam's help off the jet, pushing Steve toward Hill to start the debriefing. Wanda leaned on Vision as she made her way toward the medical team waiting in the hangar.


	2. Chapter 2

For all of Dr. Cho's amazing medical advances, the treatment for a concussion was simply rest and observation. Wanda had agreed to stay in the small medical unit until her dizzy spells passed. The ward had obviously been designed for an Avengers' worst case scenario – the main room contained six beds with a large window for constant observation by medical personnel. There were privacy curtains for all but the beds closest to the window, one of which she had been assigned. She waved the third shift nurses off as she edged off her bed, using the IV pole as an inconspicuous support to make her way to the bathroom at the opposite end of the room. She paused when she reached the bed furthest from the observation window, where the curtain had been pulled to screen the occupant from prying eyes.

Natasha looked up from the tablet she was using as Wanda looked at her. "Hey."

"Hello."

"Are you all right?"

"Headache. Some dizziness. You?"

"Can't sleep. This cell regeneration matrix itches like crazy. I should know never to volunteer for experimental treatments, but this is apparently a lot cheaper than the plastic thing and has potential for mass production. Am I keeping you up?"

"No. I am just going to the bathroom." She was seized by the urge to ask if Natasha needed anything, but there were three unopened bottles of water on her tray and a call button within easy reach. She moved on.

Natasha didn't look up when she returned from the bathroom, but said, "You don't actually need the saline drip."

"What?"

"How many times have you gotten up to go to the bathroom?"

Wanda considered the question, leaning against her IV pole. She focused on a spot at the end of Natasha's bed. Had there been a band-aid there before? She suddenly remembered she was supposed to be answering a question. "Three?"

"This was actually your fifth. They're over-hydrating you so you have to get up. Then they can observe your gait, if you're moving clumsily, how much you're using the pole for support…"

"That seems…unnecessary."

"Because you said you'd tell them when you felt well enough to leave." She finally looked up with a smirk. "The medical staff always assumes we're underreporting symptoms and injuries."

"Why?"

"It's something we do. Three military tough guys and an ex-KGB agent make the world's worst patients. Look, I'm just saying sorry they assume the same thing about you."

She shrugged. "At least I am allowed to get up. Didn't I hear someone mention a bedpan to you?"

"Hence all the unopened water bottles. I had four, but I was short on weapons when that nurse was here."

"I thought perhaps I had imagined that. Well, good night." Once she was safely under her blankets, Wanda carefully withdrew the IV needle and covered the wound with the band-aid Natasha had given her. She dozed off quickly.

Wanda woke again to the sound of footsteps on the tile floor of the infirmary. She didn't need to open her eyes to know it was Steve; he pushed a cloud of concern ahead of him like a fog. He passed her, stopping at Natasha's bed, where the light had been on all night. Wanda glanced at the clock to confirm; it was nearly five in the morning.

She turned slightly to watch him fold his arms in silhouette behind the curtain. "Shouldn't you be resting?"

"You're the one visiting in the middle of the night." Although his tone had been mock-disapproving, Natasha's was dead serious. "Besides, I'm finishing my after-action report."

"You know you don't have to worry about that right now."

"Well, I assume you need to review it and edit the negative bits about the Winter Soldier – I'm sorry, _Bucky_ – before it goes to Fury. Or should I just claim I shot myself in the thigh when I tried to holster my weapon too quickly so as not to frighten the poor boy?"

"Natasha, I came to apologize, but if you're…" He stopped and took a deep, sighing breath. When he resumed, the rising fight had left his voice, "I'm sorry. You're right to be angry. I lose perspective when it comes to Bucky and I know that, but when I see him…I just want my friend back. He was always there for me and I owe it to him to… Geez, listen to me! He put two of my team members in the hospital and I'm still trying to defend him." There was a slight squeak as he sat down on the edge of the bed. "You should be my priority. You _are_ my…all of you, the team, I mean. That's my priority."

"Easy to say now. What about the next time we go after him?"

"I don't know if there should be a next time." The shadow of his hand merged with that of her head. "In fact, I don't think there will be."

Natasha's protective shell cracked so hard that Wanda was sure it was audible even to people without psychic powers. "Seriously?"

"Bucky has fought off all of Hydra's attempts to get him back as an asset, not to mention ours, and I doubt they're using the same minimal-force method we are. He doesn't seem to be a threat to anyone who doesn't threaten him at this point. Maybe it's time to wait for him to come to us."

"You think he will?"

"I'm willing to wait and see. I can't keep putting everyone in danger because I have good memories about a guy who may not be able to come back."

"As long as he's got a friend as stubborn as you pulling for him…" There was a further enmeshing of shadows as Steve stretched out beside Natasha in the narrow hospital bed. Wanda could feel the comfort of proximity and body heat; _that_ was certainly something new. Although she couldn't see them, she could feel Steve's short hair twisting gently around Natasha's fingers as she said, "I can't say I'm sorry we won't be chasing him anymore, though. He's making me look terrible."

"Didn't Dr. Cho offer to remove all your scars?" Wanda shuddered as calloused fingertips caressed said scars.

"It's not that. He's successfully shot me three out of four times. I've got a reputation to consider."

"Big tough Black Widow."

"I'm gonna kick your ass all over the mats when I get out of here, Rogers."

Wanda bit her tongue, suddenly understanding why men were so obsessed with their erections. Steve chuckled. "Seems like you've got other plans right now."

"Lucky you're not poking my wounded thigh." Their lips met and the kiss immediately deepened, flooding Wanda with a nearly overwhelming torrent of sensations. Soft lips, searching tongues, unique flavors, the continued wonder and anatomical confusion of Natasha's hand in Steve's pants. And consuming desire for both Steve and Natasha, though she was fully aware that it wasn't her own. Wanda wasn't a blushing virgin, but none of her experiences had prepared her for something like this. How was she even feeling all this? She found she didn't care as Steve's hand slipped under Natasha's hospital gown. "Better be gentle with me."

"Mmm, first time I've ever heard you say that."

"Captain Rogers!"

The spell was broken with Dr. Cho's incredibly ill-timed arrival. Wanda kept her eyes tightly closed, trying to force the past few minutes from her mind. It was the concussion. It had lowered her threshold of control. Or something. She decided she was going to have to be more careful in the future as she fought to control her panting.

Luckily, no one was paying attention to her. Steve was stammering as Dr. Cho lectured him about Natasha's injury and need for rest in order to ensure complete recovery. "Assuming the matrix is working as expected, you only have to control yourself for another twelve hours or so."

"Is that when you remove the fire ant colony you implanted in my leg?"

"I think the result will be well-worth the discomfort, Agent Romanoff. I would offer you something for it, but I don't want to disrupt the cellular regeneration with any drugs. It appears that you are healing on schedule, so the worst should be over."

"Thank you, Dr. Cho."

"No more of…I suggest you find a way to occupy your time somewhere else until Agent Romanoff is ready to be released, Captain Rogers."

"Yes, Ma'am," he answered sheepishly.

"Yeah, stop taking advantage of me while I'm injured, Steve."

"I would have you both thrown out of my infirmary right now if it were feasible, so…oh, I give up." Dr. Cho allowed the kiss to go on for a moment before grabbing Steve's arm and dragging him out the door. Wanda licked her lips. Steve and Natasha were both surprisingly good kissers.

The experience was so natural and amazing that it took Wanda a few minutes to sit up in shock. How was she apparently the last one to know that Steve and Natasha were in a relationship?

"I assume you heard at least part of that."

She snapped her head around and was surprised to see Natasha looking at her from around the edge of the curtain. "Oh, well…Dr. Cho did shout."

"Uh-huh. I know you're not one to gossip, but…"

"I have a concussion, you know. My memory is not so good at the moment."

"Thanks, Wanda." The curtain dropped back into place and the light switched off for the first time all night.

Wanda was left to lie back down, thinking about how beautiful Natasha's eyes were. Rather, how beautiful Steve thought Natasha's eyes were. Not to mention how she felt staring into his baby blues. Wanda shook her head. This had the potential to get really weird.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Sorry. I'm a bad updating person. But there's **M-rated** Romanogers with weirdness here, so…there you go.

* * *

The movie ended after the completion of the credits and a final studio logo, Sam having argued that you had to wait and make sure the filmmakers didn't sneak in an extra scene after most of the audience had stopped paying attention. Wanda had noticed a lot of her new responsibilities involved being aware of what was happening while the rest of the world carried on as usual. There didn't appear to be any cause for alarm as she glanced around the lounge at her fellow Avengers, sprawled on the couches surrounding the TV in various attitudes of relaxation. No one seemed particularly concerned about missing anything related to the movie, much less world crises. Rhodey was reading something off his tablet, Vision was writing down his questions regarding the film (and pop culture, philosophy, etc., a compromise reached after 'ruining' one too many movies), Sam was already flipping through the Netflix selection for further options and Natasha was snuggling against Steve, whispering into his ear.

Sam frowned in displeasure at the screen. "Okay, I know we got a huge selection here, but does anyone really want to watch any _Terminator_ past the second one?"

"Not me. Getting' late," Steve said, as he stood with a grunt, pretending he wasn't ready to sprint from the room. "Nice day off, but I'll see anybody who's up for it at 0500 for a perimeter check."

There was a chorus of groans in response. 'Perimeter check' was a euphemism for a 15k around the outer defenses of the compound, with no powers or technology and torturous pauses for calisthenics whenever they were spotted by a posted guard or security camera. Sam complained, "Weren't you paying attention to the forecast earlier? The one calling for high winds and intense thunderstorms starting just before dawn and lasting through the morning?"

"You practicing to replace the weathergirl, Sam?" Natasha asked with a smirk as she reached out to allow Steve to pull her up from the couch. "Unless there's also a chance of T-1000s…"

"Hey, I'm just sayin' it looks nasty out there…guess we'll be harder to see in the rain, anyway."

"It's voluntary," Steve said over his shoulder as he and Natasha exited the rec room through the left door, fingers entwined.

"Yeah, sure it is." After a few moments without further comment, Sam continued, "No idea how those two have the energy to be up at 0500."

Rhodey shrugged. "I'm just glad they don't do that thing anymore where one of them leaves then the other waits a few minutes to follow because they think they're being subtle."

Sam chuckled. "At least Nat would slink away with no fuss. Steve constantly pulled that same routine with the stretching and fake yawning, then making an announcement about how tired he was or something, like we didn't know exactly what was up." There was a rhythmic beeping as he kept flicking through available movies. "Hey, at least the walls in this place are soundproofed, right, Wanda?"

"What? Oh, yes." Wanda nodded enthusiastically to match Sam's laugh. Really, she cared less about the manner in which Steve and Natasha left compared to the direction they went. Tonight they'd exited through the door that led to the hallway where Steve's quarters were, sharing a wall with Sam's rooms. She'd be sleeping without interruptions tonight. A disappointed sigh escaped before she could stop it.

"I do not understand why a machine is programmed with an Austrian accent," Vision stated, rousing Wanda somewhat. "A simple exposition regarding the background of the programmers would be sufficient explanation, yet viewers are expected to…"

"I am sure I will be able to explain it to you tomorrow." Wanda pushed herself out of the comfortable embrace of the sofa beside the AI man. She made a mental note to get online before the morning; Vision had made a habit of seeking her out for explanations of pop culture, thought she had tried to tell him that any team member other than Steve probably knew more about western media than her. "Perhaps while we run."

"I will look forward to it." Vision strode from the room; he didn't need to walk, sleep or run to maintain his conditioning, as far as Wanda knew, but he made certain efforts to fit in with the rest of the team. She appreciated it, if no one else explicitly did. Telekinesis made a lot of movements superfluous, regardless of reflexes. She didn't like running, though she knew she needed the cardiovascular work. Despite her genetic and enhanced advantages, she had always valued earned skills. She especially admired Natasha's ability to keep up with the team, despite her lack of genetic or technological advantages. In spite of constant training with the Avengers, the Black Widow was two steps ahead and her mind was closed as to her intentions and emotions. It created an interesting dichotomy with the almost too open Captain America, though basking in a mental blanket of unconditional love could be particularly comforting at times.

Wanda was therefore surprised and gratified to see Natasha letting herself into her quarters next door to her own. She made an effort to be casual. "I thought you had gone to bed already."

Natasha smiled tightly as she her security code opened the door her room. "Hill called us down to Ops to check on a Winter Soldier sighting."

"I thought…"

"Yeah, me too." Natasha's statement was almost overwhelmingly heavy. "I'm sure we'll hear something soon."

Wanda nodded in what she hoped was an encouraging way. "We will find him."

"Sure." Natasha nodded. "Have a good night."

"You too." Wanda was under the covers, washed and teeth brushed a few minutes later. She waited for an interminable time, listening as hard as she could with her mind. There was mental white noise as Natasha moved around, changing clothes and going through her nighttime routine. The surface was easy. While Steve was an open book, Natasha was normally an encrypted file with no key; even while she was alone, her mind didn't surrender deeper insights or emotions. Thoughtless thoughts about floss and pajamas were the only clear ideas available through the walls. Wanda was about to give up and go to sleep when there was a knock on the door.

 _Steve._ He still hadn't learned to press the call button, preferring his old fashioned attention-getter. Wanda tried to control her excitement as Natasha answered the door. "Oh."

She could feel him straining to hold back his disappointment at her lack of enthusiasm. "You're here."

"Where else would I be?"

"We were headed to my room, so…"

Natasha's shrug was nearly audible. "I assumed you would be following up on _Bucky_."

"Ops can handle Bucky."

"Oh, so he's Bucky to everyone now?"

"Hill raised the alarm when they found him. That's why she called us down." He closed the door and entered into the room, taking a step forward for each one she took back. "You should probably apologize to her for being so rude about the whole thing. She just wanted to know if we should try to send someone after him. Maybe put a tracer on him."

"And?" In spite of her annoyed tone, Natasha's arms snaked around Steve's neck as the back of her legs bumped the bed.

"And I told her not to send anyone in."

"That's it?"

"You want more?"

"Always." They collapsed into the bed and Wanda felt a wave of passion and pleasure sweep through her entire body. She recognized the sensation immediately; she had been waiting for it since she'd seen Natasha earlier. Still, there was a barrier between them. "You always want more where Bucky's concerned. We could be on a jet headed for Siberia right now."

"I'm already exactly where I want to be," Steve replied, tearing down the last wall with the strength of his…declaration.

"Steve…" Natasha relaxed as Steve pulled the tank top over her head. "Siberia sucks this time of year. Any time of year, really." There was a pause as clothes were rapidly discarded. Wanda reveled in the warm skin contact up and down her body as they dispensed with foreplay for once and got straight to the main event, as it were. "Mmm, Steve…"

Wanda clenched down as Natasha accepted Steve inside her. He was big but gentle, the most considerate man Wanda had ever encountered, if this mental intercourse could be considered real. A thrust and a push convinced her that the experience was the only thing that mattered. Although it was easier to interpret Natasha's physical sensations, Steve's were tempered with the emotional experience of sex. With her bedroom only a wall apart, Wanda had learned to absorb both simultaneously, physical pleasure and emotional fulfilment merging into a singular experience. She had already stopped trying to ascertain who was feeling what at any particular moment, simply leaving herself open to all physical sensations from next door.

For a moment, she tried to attune her mind to Natasha's feelings, but the physical was too overwhelming. Wanda squeezed her eyes shut as Steve pumped his hips, pushing into Natasha. He was so hard and thick. Wanda focused on the feeling of rhythmic penetration, though she could also feel the clench of muscles around Steve's erection. It was still easier to focus on Steve's or Natasha's physical experience individually. Months of experience had yet to accustom her to the physical sensations of man and woman, moving as one. She wasn't beyond accepting the challenge, however.

Wanda focused her mind, allowed herself to open up to the sensations of both their bodies. Nearly simultaneous orgasms overcame her, causing Wanda to cry out loudly. Her own body involuntarily joined in, thighs clenched and hips convulsing on their own accord with the couple next door's pleasure.

It wasn't right. Wanda felt a rush of guilt on the heels of every endorphin rush. She shouldn't have been intruding on Steve and Natasha's relationship. She shouldn't have felt the Natasha's raw need and Steve's emotional confusion even as he satisfied his physical desires over his intense love.

Natasha hummed into Steve's muscular chest. "You're going to be late for perimeter check."

"What about you?"

"Nobody notices if I'm late. They just assume I was there and they didn't notice."

" _I_ notice."

"Because I'm the reason you're late."

In spite of her guilt, Wanda still fisted the sheets in her hands as Steve and Natasha built up to round two.


	4. Chapter 4

Wanda leaned over the stovetop in the kitchenette off the main lounge, wondering if she had developed the control to boil the water without instantly converting it to steam and exploding the unsuspecting kettle. She opted for patience and put the thought from her mind. The morning workout had been especially exhausting, given her lack of sleep and the freezing rain whipped by a vicious wind. She was hoping a nice, hot cup of tea would finish the job of warming her that a steaming shower had failed to complete. Her annoyed glare did not affect the kettle.

A moment later, she flinched as a flash of red shot through her peripheral vision. She blinked and realized the kettle was still safely in place on the stove. Natasha, however, was seated on the countertop, looking far more refreshed than Wanda felt with her hair a mass of damp red curls pulled to one side of her neck. She crossed her legs in a full lotus and sipped from a cup of coffee she'd somehow not spilled during Wanda's flailing moment of terror.

Her voice was deadly calm, but it was her sparkling green eyes that proved more menacing as she leveled them at Wanda and asked, "Is it some kind of fetish or are you just nosy?"

Wanda considered intentionally exploding the kettle and maybe a few other items in the small space to cover a speedy tactical retreat, but found she was frozen by Natasha's gaze. She managed a weak, "Excuse me?"

The eye-roll was intimidating, but at least it ended the glare. Natasha sipped her coffee then sighed. "You may think you're discreet, Maximoff, but you can't expect to spy on a master spy and get away with it."

"I have no idea what you are talking about."

"No? How about now?" Wanda jumped at the unexpected sound of her native language spoken properly. "Can you understand me now?"

"You…you speak Sokovian. Most Russians can't be bothered and treat it as an afterthought of a dialect."

"Most Russians didn't train in the Red Room. Besides, I don't fall into any category that starts with 'most.' But my impressive language skills aside, you're still avoiding the subject. You were in our heads again last night and I was willing to let it slide until you grew enough backbone to come talk to me yourself, but you're getting so obvious that Steve knows something is up. You need to get it under control or come up with an excuse for me to move that doesn't let him know what you've been doing."

The sick feeling that had been growing in Wanda's stomach abated for a moment. "Then Steve…?"

"No. He just knows something weird is going on. I decided to talk with you first, give you a chance to explain why you initiated a psychic threesome without our consent."

"I…" There was no point scrambling for denials if Natasha was that clued in to…wait. "How did you find out?"

She frowned, brows knitting together over her nose the way Steve liked, which Wanda knew she shouldn't have been thinking. Natasha continued to frown. "The more intrusive…wait, that's not the word. Greedier, perhaps? Anyway, the longer you've been joining in, the more you've been opening yourself up. You're projecting back at us. No idea why Steve is just starting to pick up on it, but it probably has something to do with how much he trusts his friends not to spy on him." Her legs abruptly unfolded as she leaped off the counter in one fluid motion. Although not tall in her own right, she still managed to look down at Wanda. "The opposite comes naturally to me. I expect other people to spy, manipulate, use me for their own ends…"

"That is not what I…"

"You're an asset to the team and Steve trusts you in the field. He's generous with his trust, sometimes overly so. It's going to be very hard for him to trust you again."

"I will do wh-whatever it takes. I will prove I can be trusted."

"It's not just about trust, though. He takes things personally. That's what makes betraying him such a cruel thing to do. This is going to hurt him." She leaned into Wanda's space. "Do you think it's okay to _hurt_ Steve?"

Wanda felt a tear streaking down her cheek and found herself unable to brush it away with Natasha so close. "I never intended to…I didn't think…"

"No. You didn't." The threat suddenly left Natasha's posture as she stepped back and leaned against the counter, calmly taking another sip of coffee. "So, how are we going to fix this?"

"Fix…" Wanda was still too out of sorts to understand the sudden shift. Was Natasha letting her off the hook with a slap on the wrist? Or was there worse to come? "I…I…"

"You know what? I'll take care of it." Natasha finished her coffee in a gulp and rinsed it in the sink. "Don't breathe a word to Steve and he'll never know the extent of…why don't we just call it a stunning lack of judgment brought on by…"

"Vodka!" Wanda snapped her head around just as the kettle started to whistle, gaping at Sam in the doorway. He shrugged with a sheepish grin. "Sorry, I don't know any other words in Russian and you guys seemed to be enjoying your secret girl talk…"

"Sokovian, Sam, not Russian." Natasha switched back to English and smiled as if nothing were wrong, like he really had interrupted a conversation about the best leather jackets to wear in combat situations. "I'm out of practice and Wanda misses speaking it. What's up?"

"Cap's all gung-ho this morning and wants us in the training room in ten for some hand-to-hand." He picked up the mug Natasha had just washed and poured himself a cup of sugar with a side of coffee as he griped, "Shouldn't you be doing more to tire him out?"

"He's a super soldier, Sam. His stamina is…"

"Nope, nope. Don't wanna know. Much as I enjoy seeing you ladies in your combat gear, I do _not_ need to include Cap in his birthday suit in that mental montage. Bad enough I gotta watch him bench press eight billion pounds or whatever." Sam licked his lips in satisfaction after a taste of his coffee. "Anyway, more punishment on the schedule. Looks like you wasted your showers."

Natasha shrugged a shoulder. "If I did than Steve did, too."

"What'd I just get done telling you?" The piercing wail of the kettle was starting to make conversation difficult. "Uh, I think your tea's ready, Wanda."

"Oh, yes. Of course." Her hands were shaking as made a cup of tea she didn't really want anymore.

Sam and Natasha continued to talk about trivial things. "We should have someone put gravel around the creek. I nearly tore an ACL in the mud today."

"Get some better boots."

"What, like those wedge heels you wear so no one knows how teeny you are?"

"Why would you say something that stupid before hand-to-hand training?"

"Must've hit my head when I slipped. Maybe I have time to talk to Hill about opening an on-base spa before you hand me my ass on the mats."

"If you finally ask her to dinner I'll go easy on you."

Sam dropped his empty mug into the sink. "I'll get my ice packs ready and hope Cap hasn't arranged for us to go over Niagara Falls in barrels this afternoon or something."

"See you in a few, Sam." He waved a hand over his shoulder, leaving Wanda alone with Natasha and a cup of tea she had no idea what to do with. Natasha's easy English conversation switched back to slightly strained Sokovian when she turned toward Wanda. "As I was saying before, I'll handle everything with Steve. You just need to stop. Understood?"

Wanda nodded, not trusting her voice for the moment. It surprised her as Natasha was walking out of the room, piping up, "He is in love with you." She felt emboldened when Natasha paused in the doorway. "You…you should not use him just for sex."

The redhead didn't turn around. "Stick with telekinesis, Maximoff."

Wanda poured her untouched tea down the drain and placed the cup, along with Sam's, in the dishwasher.

* * *

"Focus, Wanda!"

She stared up at the high ceiling of the training room, momentarily wishing she could make her tormentor disappear in a flash of pure red energy. The thought disappeared as she propped herself up on her elbows and saw Steve looking at her expectantly. They had been over the importance of developing her hand-to-hand skills on numerous occasions. His philosophy was that powers that could be given could also be taken away and his own training regimen made it hard to argue with his commitment to maintaining his strength and abilities. The fact that he put so much work into being Captain America inspired the team to push the limits of their own potential. She knew the afternoon would be dedicated to developing her telekinetic control, so she pushed herself off the mat and swayed only slightly as she assumed a fighting stance. "All right."

"Are you ready?"

His genuine concern felt like a twist of the knife after her talk with Natasha. She didn't deserve Steve's concern or effort, but there he was, giving his best to an unworthy Avenger. She tried to keep the mental defeat from showing through in her body. "Fine."

"We can take a break if you…"

"I will be better," she shouted, unintentionally calling attention to herself.

Steve nodded and feinted toward her. She snapped at the bait, landing on the mat again. Huffing with annoyance at herself, she accepted the hand he extended to help her up. "You'll get there. We've all been at this for years. Well, except Vision, but he used to be JARVIS, so…you're doing really well for having to play so much catch-up, is what I'm trying to say."

"Lunchtime!" Sam suddenly proclaimed from across the room. "Nat, if you make a joke about me being full from eating the mats this session, I swear…"

"What? You're gonna kick my ass?" Natasha's comment drew laughter from Rhodey and Vision. She leaned down to help him up. "I was gonna ask you to save me a seat, but forget it."

"Well, if everyone sees us sitting together, maybe we can start some rumors. Eh, Cap?" Sam jerked his chin at Steve before ducking down to hear a whispered comment from Natasha. Wanda didn't need telepathy to catch the name 'Hill' passing between the two as Sam shook his head. He raised his voice to say, "Cheeseburger so rare it's mooing, got it. Can't wait to see the 'Black Widow Diet' in _Superhero Monthly_."

"It's not the diet that gets you…"

"It's the insane workouts, yeah. I've noticed. This is why you don't see dudes running around in leather catsuits. Not flattering."

She flashed a coy smirk that was clearly directed more at Steve than Sam. "Could be."

"Yeah, well, don't take too long or your burger's getting' burned off this afternoon when I fly circles around Chair Force over there."

Wanda watched Sam and Rhodey tease each other in a good-natured way as Vision followed them out. She realized belatedly that she was standing beside Steve as Natasha approached and excused herself. She didn't leave the training room, however, ducking into the small electrical room that controlled the lights, music and partitions in the space.

She heard and felt an extended kiss before Natasha asked, "Got a minute?"

"Only a minute?"

"Administrative stuff." She pushed Steve's hands off her waist. "Actually, private stuff."

"Oh?"

She pushed his hands away again, though she held them in hers. "You know how…sometimes between apartments there are really thin walls?"

"Uh, I grew up poor in Brooklyn. Sometimes we knew our neighbors better than we knew ourselves. What's this about?"

"Well, even though this base was built with soundproof walls, they aren't…before I tell you this, you have to promise you won't say anything to Wanda."

"Nat, I can't just…"

"Please?"

"You know I can't say no to you."

"Shh." Another kiss interrupted the conversation. "I talked to Wanda today and she…look, she was so mortified it took her months just to talk to _me_ and she would be horrified if she found out I told you…"

"You're killing me here."

"This isn't easy for me, either." Wanda was impressed with Natasha's acting skills. "Okay, as it turns out, the walls in the base are kind of thin for someone with psychic powers."

There was a long pause. "You mean…"

"We've been keeping Wanda up whenever we spend the night in my room. It's not something that's anyone's fault and she was _so_ embarrassed about it that…she only managed to talk to me about it today. For her, it's like there are very thin walls between our rooms and she's hearing…well, everything."

Steve's heavy sigh was audible. "So, first I need to apologize to Wanda."

"No! She can't know I told you. She was so worried about this whole thing…you can't say a word to her. Just play it cool."

"Did you honestly just ask me to be cool?"

"Try?"

There was another long pause as they kissed. "Anything for you."

"Thank you. If you're looking for a way to make things right, maybe you could move my nightstand to your room at some point today?"

"I'll do it now." Steve's running footsteps were audible even after the door closed.

Wanda let out the breath she didn't realize she'd been holding and stepped back into the main room. She was surprised that she had escaped with so little blame. She had basically been let off the hook as an accidental observer; Natasha hadn't made good on her threats about destroying trust between Wanda and Steve, though she certainly could have.

To her surprise, Natasha was leaning against the wall a few feet away. "You obviously didn't listen carefully enough earlier when we had our little chat about spying, but if I catch you again, I'm going to invent new forms of pain to make sure you remember that you need to respect your teammates' personal boundaries."

"Understood." Wanda somehow found herself sitting down to lunch after Natasha, who was refocused on her Sam-Hill mission. She forced herself not to be disappointed as she went to bed later that night, knowing that there was no passive satisfaction to be had in her current situation.


	5. Chapter 5

Wanda drummed her fingertips impatiently on the tabletop as the briefing seemed to drag for something that had been announced with strobing red lights as a 'Priority One Emergency.' The team was mostly suited up for deployment, with the exception of Rhodey, who could step into his War Machine suit in a moment. Steve was fiddling with chinstrap of his helmet and Sam with his goggles; for her part, Wanda stopped tapping after a glare from Fury and tugged at the sleeves of the red leather jacket she had been wearing for the past few missions. Natasha had personally handed it to her when she had become an Avenger, saying it was 'right' for her. She had yet to find a reason to disagree, though she was still torn between the familiarity of the jacket Pietro had first tossed at her at Avengers' Tower and the knowledge that she was still the kid wearing other people's castoffs. Of course, Natasha hadn't meant it that way; Wanda wished they could go back to that type of interaction, but Natasha had been subtly stand-offish for the two weeks since confronting Wanda about her spying.

She was sitting across the table, catsuit-clad in her customary spot beside Steve. Their chairs were closer together as they whispered throughout the briefing, consulting a shared tablet as they developed a tactical plan while Fury repeatedly explained that they were likely walking into a trap. Wanda hadn't bothered to ask _why_ they were going if everyone was so sure it was a trap. Her mind wandered as she watched Steve and Natasha.

He had actually cornered her early on to apologize for disturbing her sleep for so long. It had been all Wanda could do to accept and say it was best to forget the whole thing had ever happened. He had agreed readily, noting that he was sorry if he had embarrassed her more by bringing it up, but he wouldn't feel right without apologizing. This made Wanda feel even worse, but she conformed to Natasha's instructions and reiterated that they could just put it behind them. It had taken some time to figure out why she'd been let off the hook so easily, but she'd come to the conclusion that it hadn't been about her in the least. In spite of the implications of her moniker, Natasha was actually to opposite of a black widow, going above and beyond to protect her mate, exchanging a minor form of embarrassment for the hurt that would have come to the team and Steve personally if the whole truth had come out. This made Wanda feel even worse for suggesting that Natasha didn't love Steve. It was so obvious from the way she leaned toward him, hand resting lightly on his arm, causing a light flow of electric excitement through his body that…

"Understood, people?"

Everyone seated around the conference table jumped up in response to Director Fury's question. Wanda was so caught up in the mess in her head that she hadn't realized the meeting was breaking up. She'd been feeling them again, unintentionally, but still…

Vision touched her shoulder gently. "Shall we go?"

"Yes, of course."

He strode calmly beside her as they made their way to the garage. "I am curious to see what kind of bomb only the Avengers will be able to diffuse. Is it possible that the attackers have obtained DNA or fingerprints and used them to encode the detonator?"

"Or is it a simple trap?" Steve asked, turning back toward them.

Natasha tipped her head to his ear. "Or worse, a media trick to get us on camera? You know, Hill had to hire someone just to handle appearance requests for the Avengers. It's bad enough when we have to pose for pictures with politicos so they can have something to hang in their offices, but why would anyone think we'd show up for their nightclub opening?"

"Says the woman in the black leather catsuit," Sam replied.

"For the last time, it's _practical_ ," Natasha huffed, allowing Steve to redirect her into the garage with a hand on the small of her back that lingered just long enough to shoot little lightning bolts up and down her spine. Not that Wanda was…damn it. She tried to refocus on the mission as she got into the armored jeep and buckled her seatbelt.

Although the bomb threat against the 29th Annual International Conference on Ethical Journalism would not normally require the Avengers, they had been specifically called out by the organization which had sent the threat. No one in the worldwide intelligence network seemed to have any information on the 'Sacrificial Lambs of February,' but no one seemed willing to admit a group capable of threatening such a visible gathering was a hoax, either. There was too much to lose if the threat turned out to be credible.

The trip to the convention center was quick, Wanda riding in the back with Vision, Steve in the front while Natasha drove with War Machine and Falcon flying ahead as scouts. The conference was happening just outside New York City, almost right in their backyard. Iron Man would also be joining them at the scene, which Fury had icily suggested was the real reason for their presence. Stark Industries had recently diversified, taking over a major television network, a publishing company and two independent film studios. The Avengers rescuing the international press corps was guaranteed publicity and corresponding stock increases. No one on the team was willing to either make a direct accusation or put such a cynical move past Tony Stark, though Wanda suspected that the media presence would have drawn him like a moth to the flame, regardless of the circumstances.

The evacuation of attendees was still occurring as they parked, prompting a blinding flash from the assembled photographers as Wanda stepped down onto the pavement. She tried to keep her expression neutral, though she knew she probably looked like she was freaking out beside the rest of the team. They met outside the main entrance as the last stragglers were ushered out by police. Steve assigned sectors to each team member and they were off.

Ten minutes later, Wanda glanced around the vast empty space of the main hall of the convention center that had been filled with milling news personalities, photojournalists and various other members of the press only an hour before. Now that horde was outside at what the police had judged a safe distance, reporting live via satellite and internet about the bomb threat that had interrupted the second day of the conference, she was even less sure why the Avengers had been summoned.

Iron Man was currently circling above the large glass dome, ostensibly conducting perimeter surveillance while remaining highly visible to the cameras. War Machine or Falcon could easily have taken that assignment, but they were busy combing the interior, just as she was. There were no indications of a bomb thus far in the sectors she had covered. She couldn't help but feel her skills were being wasted in the moments before the glass began to fall in lethal shards around her. She produced an energy field that protected her as the tremor from the explosion continued to rain shimmering death in the form of splintering glass.

"Wanda!"

She managed to lower her shield just as Rhodey zipped into the room and grabbed her around the waist, carrying her to safety in the parking lot. She leaned against a quinjet that had landed since her arrival, taking in the scene. The main building of the convention center appeared to have suffered mostly cosmetic damage, but the six-story administrative annex beside it had been reduced to a pile of rubble.

She was about to ask about the significance of the explosion when she realized that Steve was as close to losing his composure as she'd ever seen him, fist tensed though he was speaking evenly into the communicator on his wrist as he sprinted past. "Natasha. Natasha, do you copy? Natasha? Natasha?"

Wanda realized with a jolt who had been searching the annex and burst forward to follow Steve. She fought through the heavy cobwebs of distress enveloping him as he repeated his lover's name over and over in the dust still rising from the settling pile of steel and concrete. He flinched at her touch, though she had been careful not to lace it with any psychic suggestions, not even reassurances. He reluctantly lowered his arm. "She…she's not answering."

"She probably lost her transmitter in the blast," Wanda replied, disconcerted by the fear in Steve's eyes. "We will find her."

"What if it's a trap?" Stark suddenly interjected, landing with a clank in the midst of the Avengers. "What if we're supposed to go rushing in just in time for the big bang to take us all out?"

Sam gave a grunt of disgust. "Then you can deliver the eulogies for all of us, Rust Bucket." His wings shot out and he took off to begin looking for viable pockets in the destroyed building, followed immediately by Rhodey and Vision. Iron Man joined them a moment later.

Wanda was about to follow when she felt Steve holding her back. "Wanda, you can…you can…her mind, her thoughts. You can find her. I know you can."

"Steve…" She fought hard not to react to his nearly bone-crushing grip on her shoulders. "You are hurting me."

He let go and took a step back, but his eyes retained their intensity. "Sorry, I just…please. I won't lose her. I _can't_."

"I will do my best."

"I know you will."

She heard an argument begin over comms between Stark and Steve, but Wanda pushed her body to the limits she had learned in her time at Avengers' HQ as she ran away from him and mounted the nearest pile of rubble, doing the best she could to home in on Natasha's thoughts. There was too much going on. It was too intense in an entirely different way, nothing like the times she had felt Steve and Natasha through the wall between their rooms. Natasha's mind was so controlled anyway, so hard read.

Using her telekinetic powers, Wanda rose above the wreckage, probing as best she could through the cacophony of newscasters projecting their dramatic reports into the ether, police issuing commands and teammates trying to organize the search. She landed abruptly on a steel beam, making sure it could hold her before turning all her powers on finding a single voice in the overwhelming mental noise. She cried out in pain before she could isolate the one mind on which she was so intent. It was too much. What if Natasha was unconscious? Dead? The painful realization was not just her own, but her teammates'. Steve's.

Before she could stop herself, she shrieked, "Dogs! Dogs could do better than I am! Why are there no dogs here?"

"Hey, hey," Sam said, retracting his wings as he set down beside her atop the beam. "You're doing what you can. Cap's freaking out because he's…look, he's worried. We all are, but him and Nat, well, you know." Sam's hand felt heavy, grounding her in spite of their precarious foothold. "Do your best. That's all anyone's asking."

Wanda again tried to focus. The sheer volume of thoughts in the area was making her task impossible; she had to fight her instinct to close her mind. Natasha had to be conscious. What would Natasha be thinking in this situation? Amidst the dissonance of reportage and concern in her mind, a single strain of multilingual cursing was vaguely discernable. She held up her hand to stop Sam's reassuring monologue. Using all her concentration, she tried to pierce through.

"FUCKING ELEVATOR!" The words she had shouted left her feeling like a ventriloquist's dummy, but it was enough. Vision and Iron Man were already clearing the collapsed concrete shaft when she and Sam arrived. In her own voice, Wanda called to Steve, "She is in the elevator car, unhurt but trapped!"

He beamed at her and leaped in. The flash that shot out of the rubble a few moments later was brighter than anything Wanda had ever seen. She thought for a moment there had been another explosion, but no one else was reacting. Her mind reached back to the elderly couple she had once seen in Sokovia. Steve and Natasha suddenly appeared out of the elevator shaft. He reached up to lift her to the ground, not letting go as he pulled her into a passionate embrace. The light around them became too bright for Wanda to look at.

Instead, she turned to Stark, who had raised his faceplate. "What the…when…is this…how…?"

Rhodey gave him a clanging pat on the shoulder. "Told you to swing by HQ more often."

Just before Natasha disappeared into the quinjet to head home for a medical evaluation at Steve's insistence, she made purposeful eye-contact with Wanda. The message was quiet this time, not forcing itself from her mouth.

 _Thank you_.

Wanda nodded with a shy smile. Perhaps she could find a way to 'listen in' that would be helpful rather than invasive. She was still smiling when Vision came up beside her. "Pardon me for interrupting your apparently pleasant musings, but Captain America has indicated that there is still work to do here. And Mr. Stark has repeatedly indicated that we are being watched, live, by millions."

Wanda shot herself into the air with more flair than usual to continue investigating the bombing. If she was going to appear on the news, she wanted to be remembered for more than just her stylish leather jacket.


	6. Chapter 6

Wanda saw only the briefest glances of herself in the ensuing media coverage of the conference center bombing. The world was not interested in the Avengers' efforts to catch the bombers, whose errors in wiring had failed to bring down the main building in spite of skillfully placed charges. Broadcasts barely mentioned that the Sacrificial Lambs of February had been linked to a cell of former SHIELD agents with ties to Hydra or that they were still at large. The global press had even forgotten that they had ever been in mortal danger.

In spite of dramatic footage of the evacuation, building collapse and the Avengers in action, all anyone seemed to be interested in reporting was Captain America kissing Black Widow.

Only two photographers and one cameraman had been situated at the ideal angle to capture the moments after Natasha and Steve had emerged from the annex building wreckage, but the images had provoked instant international obsession. The minute and a half long clip played everywhere. One particularly well-composed photo of their kiss had graced the front pages of nearly all the world's noteworthy newspapers, from the _Afghanistan Times_ to the _Herald of Zimbabwe_ , not to mention every magazine, tabloid and internet site, relevant or not.

Avengers' HQ was aware of each and every mention; Hill's nascent PR team had already been expanded by three, with talk of more hires. Her theory was that the world had seen terrorists and bombings before; a superhero love story was completely new territory.

Director Fury's only response had been a half-frown, half-smile, with a muttered, "Damn kids."

For their part, Steve and Natasha had retreated into his quarters when the team had returned and she had been cleared by Dr. Cho. She had suffered only minor cuts and bruises in the explosion, due to her quick thinking to use the elevator as a shelter. In the small building, it had proved strong enough to provide protection from the blast and falling rubble. Most of her injuries had come as a result of the impact after the cables had snapped and the emergency brakes failed in the compromised shaft. In a taller building, the results would have been much different.

Wanda was pleased to find that the bright flashes of light had not been picked up by the cameras. She had been the only one to experience the true joy of the moment, apart from Steve and Natasha themselves. The light wasn't always present when she looked at them now, but she found it somehow comforting to know it was _there_. She liked to think that actually seeing love was like seeing light. Light didn't disappear, merely moved to a new location too quickly for the eye to sense. In billions of years, cosmologists with the right equipment in a faraway galaxy might mistake the couple for a supernova.

Headquarters was quiet tonight after the active week. Wanda was alone in the lounge, sipping a cup of tea and watching a _60 Minutes_ piece speculating on the 'Story Behind the Superhero Love Story' when Natasha appeared, deep in conversation on her phone.

"No, I get that you…look, it's not like I was _lying_ to you…" She waved to Wanda as she walked into the kitchenette, conversation still audible. "When are the kids off for spring break? Are you doing anything? Then can we spend the week? I'll ask him how he feels about it. Yeah. Yeah. Give everyone my love. I'll cook at least four nights. What? No, put her on." There was a pause and Natasha's voice was gentler when she resumed speaking. "Hey, sweetie. It wasn't a secret, I just hadn't had a chance to tell you…Yes, Lila, Steve is my boyfriend. Well, you can ask him yourself. Yes! When you have your week off from school. Okay, put your dad back on. I love you, too." She was all business when she reentered the lounge with her own cup of tea a moment later. "Third week of April, then. See you."

Natasha dropped her phone as she collapsed into a chair across from Wanda. After a glance at the TV, she said, "If I'd been thinking more clearly, I would have pulled him into the elevator with me."

Wanda smiled. "You two have become very famous very quickly as a couple."

"It would be a nightmare if I had to live out there in the real world." She took a long sip of tea. "We're safe in our little bubble for now. "Where is everybody?"

She ticked off the rest of the team on her fingers as she said, "Rhodey is at an Air Force commitment, Sam is spending the weekend with his sister's family, Vision has decided to learn about love through Shakespearean literature and Steve is…I assume you know where he is."

"Raiding the galley. His metabolism is ridiculous." Natasha sipped her tea again. "I hope Vision isn't focusing on _Romeo and Juliet_. Or I might have to lend him _Doctor Zhivago_ , not that it's a more realistic model of love. What is?" After a long moment's consideration that bordered on the awkward, she said, "Anyway, you all alone here?"

"Agent Hill and Dr. Cho invited me to see a movie, but I preferred to stay in."

Natasha gave her a significant look. "When they're asking you to hang out, it's just Maria and Helen. You probably missed a good time. We usually hit the local bar after a movie."

"Really?"

"You shouldn't stay cooped up at HQ all the time. Just come the next time we invite you."

Wanda realized with a start that she had rejected multiple invitations to go out. "I may do that."

"Seriously. No one around here would ask just to be polite. Of course, it might not be as much fun to see a romantic comedy starring Channing Tatum with all this going on," Natasha waved toward the television, "but still…it's good to get away, even for a few hours."

"Yes. You, um, you were making plans to go away?"

"Uh-huh. Clint is beyond furious I didn't tell him I was with Steve, but you can't stay mad at family. Has he sent you the latest pictures of Nathaniel?" Wanda leaned over to coo over the baby pictures, though she had received a few of them. Clint had been very eager for her to meet his son, named partly in honor of her twin brother, but she had yet to reply to the offer. Natasha hadn't pressed about it, though Wanda was sure she knew.

"He is very cute. Chubby cheeks on a baby, yes?"

Natasha didn't reply right away, holding her phone out a moment longer as she drained the dregs of her tea. "Clint really does want you to meet the baby, and the whole family. You, um…you could come with us. In a couple weeks."

Having heard at least part of the conversation concerning the trip, Wanda was even less inclined to agree to the reluctant proposal. "Perhaps another time."

"Okay. We may kidnap you for a barbeque on the Fourth of July, then. Just saying." She put away her phone and set down her empty mug, leaning back to watch a story about deep sea exploration. When a commercial came on, she began quietly, "We haven't really talked since…look, I still don't like the mind reading, but if you only use it for good reasons…"

"I will not…you…you were actually very accurate when you told Steve it was like overhearing through thin walls." She did her best to block her previous experiences enjoying Steve and Natasha's relationship through the walls from her mind. "Did you know I would hear you?" She quickly added, "After the building collapse, I mean."

"I was hoping. Once I realized the doors and the roof hatch of the elevator were blocked and I couldn't raise anyone on comms…I don't know how I knew you heard me." She glanced back at the Mariana Trench on television. "I was trying to say that maybe it's something the team should practice. Maybe Vision can…his powers are based on the Mind Stone, too, so…you two could work together, if it's…this is weird."

Wanda took a moment to gather all the things Natasha was suggesting. She had agreed to join the Avengers because she wanted to help people, to use the powers she had been given for positive outcomes. Her telekinesis was terrifying enough when she could barely control it. The fact that Natasha was the one telling her to try to develop her psychic powers was more reassuring than she would have expected. She smiled. "Weird. I have heard that was how my powers were initially described."

Natasha smirked. "Hasn't changed."

"I suppose it is difficult to argue with that."

"You still need to work on control. Don't think I'm condoning…I'm sorry. We've already resolved that." Wanda was about to question the sudden flare and disappearance of Natasha's anger when she said, "Hey, Steve. What's in the bowl?"

"I made mac and cheese. Figured you'd be hungry." He sank onto the couch between Wanda and Natasha's chair. "Wanda, you're welcome to grab a fork, too."

Natasha was smiling as she twirled her fork between her fingers. "Steve, you realize that one box is meant to serve, like, two or three people."

"Well, there were five boxes strapped together, so I thought…" he trailed off as he chewed a mouthful. "S'better than that ramen stuff."

"You need the calories," Natasha said, leaning forward while ruffling his hair. She contemplated the yellowish mass on her fork for a moment before taking a hesitant bite. After swallowing, she said, "It's not too bad."

"Not bad? I could live on this if there were some meat in it."

"Meat or Spam?"

"Just because you don't appreciate…"

"You know, I've eaten authentic 10-in-1 World War II rations and…"

"And?"

"Nothing," Natasha sank back into her chair, leaving her fork in the bowl. "Kraft mac and cheese is good."

"What would you rather have?"

"Well…how would you feel about something home cooked?"

Wanda left before Natasha could tell Steve about the plan to visit Clint's farm. She had the feeling it would end in something she couldn't ethically enjoy.


	7. Chapter 7

Wanda blocked one kick, but took the next three to the chest and stomach. Gasping, she managed, "Is this really necessary?"

"You said you wanted to learn to protect yourself without your powers."

"Yes, but…"

Natasha didn't relent, but redoubled her assault. She had come back from her trip to Clint's bursting with energy; apparently she and Steve had been banned from their favorite activity after waking the baby one too many times. Hand-to-hand was more of an adventure than usual while they caught up on each other.

Wanda was deeply regretting that she had agreed to spar with Natasha while Steve and Sam ran some errands in town. She blocked only one of the next five blows, landing uncomfortably against the mats several times. She projected a shield to protect herself as she staggered to her feet. "Give me a chance."

"Then earn one. Concentrate."

"If I concentrate, I will flatten you against the wall."

"Try it," Natasha dared, bouncing back and forth on the balls of her bare feet.

Wanda unleashed a wave of power, but found herself wheezing after a blow to the throat.

She heard Natasha land somewhere behind her. "What did I tell you about relying too much on your telekinetic abilities?"

"Not to?" Wanda sent a wave of indiscriminate energy to cover her back, though she was sure Natasha had already flipped out of range. "But I am not fighting alone."

"And why should that keep you safe?"

"Because I have teammates covering my back?" Wanda was unable to free her hands from the sudden grasp of the Black Widow standing in front of her. She had noted that Natasha's eyes took on a peculiar glaze when she inhabited her persona rather than herself. "I can count on them to free me."

"True," Natasha agreed, releasing her hold on Wanda's wrists and reverting to her normal level of relaxed wariness. "And we'll be there. You still need to work on your hand-to-hand though. I could beat you into the ground if I had to."

Though she was loathe bringing up Ultron, Wanda suggested, "I have my doubts."

She hit the mats and felt her arms securely pinned again. "Then you still have issues with trust. Misplaced?"

"Not at all."

"Good." Natasha was suddenly standing over her, extending a hand to help her up.

Wanda wiggled her fingers as she regained feeling in her arms. "I suppose I do need more work, yes?"

"Another day. In the meantime, work with the bags, build up your strength. Why don't we make dinner for the boys after we're done here?"

Wanda nodded – 'the boys' meant Steve and Sam, with Rhodey and Vision included if they happened to be around. Natasha had been noticeably more accommodating to Steve's home-cooked tastes since returning from their visit to the Barton homestead. She had been especially obliging regarding the comforts of home. Wanda couldn't be sure but she thought she'd seen several local real estate brochures around lately. If she and Steve were planning on moving out of HQ…

She almost tripped over the back of the treadmill as she stepped up. She found she didn't _want_ Steve and Natasha to leave. She would miss their presence, their light. The worst part was it was likely her fault they were looking for a place of their own. Or partially her fault. Wanda didn't like the idea of dividing the team; even if they weren't always at the compound, it was still their home. She knew the importance of people in making a home and since she'd lost Pietro, this had been hers. _They_ were hers. They wouldn't move further than driving distance, naturally, but it would be strange not to share a conversation with Steve or have an impromptu workout with Natasha. She pouted and stared down at the treadmill's blinking lights.

"Wanda."

She was about to protest that she was about to start when she realized that Natasha had stopped running, her attention fixed on the mirror in front of them. They were no longer the only people in the gym; the Winter Soldier stared at them in reflection. After a moment, he raised his metal arm and pointed. "You. You're Steve Rogers' girl."

Natasha didn't react to his words, instead turning slowly while shoving Wanda's arms down, which was probably fortunate because she likely would have destroyed half the compound with the energy blast to end all energy blasts she'd been envisioning. Displaying a calm Wanda couldn't help buy envy, Natasha stepped off the treadmill and took two steps toward him. "What do you want with Steve?"

He ran his metal fingers through his unkempt hair, causing a small shower of leaves and twigs to land on the gym floor. "You can get him here?"

"Tell me why you want him."

"I trust him. Only him."

Natasha settled her hands on her hips. "He isn't here at the moment."

"Then get him here."

"Let's do this with a minimum of bloodshed. First, you give me your word that you won't hurt Wanda and I. In exchange, I'll contact our Ops director and have the team currently surrounding this location called back. Then, I'll call Steve and ask him to come. If you do anything to hurt him when he gets here, I will separate your head from your body with my bare hands. Do we have a deal?"

The Winter Soldier glanced over his shoulder nervously. The helmet of a member of the response team was just visible at the bottom of the window. "Nobody comes in here but Steve."

"Fine. Maybe Wanda could leave as a gesture of your good intentions?"

"Call them off. You both stay."

Natasha shrugged, though Wanda felt better for his denial. She hadn't been intending to leave, in spite of Natasha's suggestion. Although her calm exterior revealed nothing, Wanda could sense an undercurrent of nerves in Natasha that worried her. Natasha remained unflappable as she pointed to a table across the room. "I'll need my phone to call Steve. Do you want to get it, or should I?"

"What about your Ops team?"

"They're already withdrawing." She began to walk slowly toward the table. "Did you think no one would be watching and listening since you tripped the silent alarms?"

"I didn't trip any alarms."

Natasha sighed and called out, "Hill?"

Hill's voice, unsurprisingly, matched Natasha's for calm. "I took the liberty of informing Captain Rogers of the situation already. Based on GPS, you have fifteen minutes before he arrives. Response teams will remain on standby."

"Thank you."

The Winter Soldier interrupted, "Who's…"

"Acknowledge." Natasha held up a hand to silence him.

"We'll keep eyes on, Agent Romanoff," Hill replied after a moment. "Captain America's ETA is now twelve minutes and you should probably call him to let him know you're okay."

"Just about to." She held up the phone she'd managed to get while the Winter Soldier had been distracted by the voice from above. "I'll put it on speaker if you want."

Two echoing rings later Steve's voice echoed through the gym. "Hey. You okay?"

"Wanda and I are just fine. Anything you'd like to say to Steve?" The Winter Soldier shook his head in a curt 'no.' "I think he wants to talk face to face."

"Nat…"

"Just tell Sam to drive like me, okay?" She ended the call before Steve could reply. She tucked the phone into her pocket in spite of the fact that it was buzzing. Her gaze was steady as she looked across the room. "Well, I guess it's just the three of us for a few minutes." To Wanda's surprise, Natasha took a seat on one of the training mats, gesturing that they should join her. Wanda slowly took a seat with the Winter Soldier following stiffly after a moment. Natasha pulled the elastic from her hair and pulled it back into a tighter ponytail. "How shall we spend the time?"

"You're his girl," the Winter Soldier repeated.

"Yes. We established that when you came in. Is there anything else you'd like to say?"

"If you're his girl, he should buy you shoes."

Wanda had to bite back an inappropriate laugh. It was true that Natasha was still barefoot from their training session. She had a thing about barefoot running building character, which was bad enough on a treadmill but murder when she occasionally took charge of their perimeter checks. It made her light pink toenails stand out even more now that she was sitting. She suddenly shot Wanda a warning look. "I have plenty of shoes," Natasha replied. "I just didn't know if you'd want to take the time to, like, apologize or something."

"Apologize?"

"Well, you shot me. Three times. Only once while Steve, um, cared. But it still pissed him off."

"I don't remember that."

"You also shot Steve a bunch of times. Do you remember _that_?"

The Winter Soldier squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, then opened them. "Uh…a little?"

"I found him almost dead on the bank of the Potomac." Wanda had no doubt that she couldn't stop Natasha if she chose that moment to pounce. "That pissed _me_ off. That pissed me off _a lot_."

"I think…" he rubbed his metal hand against his forehead. "Did I drag him out of the river?"

"You wouldn't still be alive right now if you hadn't."

He laughed, a hollow sound that died before it could echo. "Then he loves you, huh?"

"He does." Wanda retained her seat beside Natasha only with an exceptional effort. "He'll prove it against you if he has to."

The claim seemed unnecessarily bold to Wanda, but the Winter Soldier seemed to buy it. "And if he does?"

"Try to kill me. He'll take his revenge."

"Steve doesn't take revenge."

"He would."

"That's…that's not why I came here."

"Then why are we threatening each other?"

"Bad habits." They all turned to the door where Steve was standing, Sam lurking behind him. "Bucky. You're here."

"You stopped chasing me."

"You didn't seem to like it. I didn't want you hurting my friends any more."

"I…I've…I'm not always myself. Sometimes I know and sometimes…I want help. I want to remember. I want to be Bucky."

"Then you came to the right place." Steve reached out his hand and, after a moment, the Winter Soldier – Bucky – took it. After a moment of brotherly contact, Steve abruptly pulled him into a headlock. "You ever threaten Natasha again and you'll regret it. Understood?"

"Uh huh. Get her some shoes."

"What?"

"Nothing." Natasha waved her hands in the air as she approached the two men. "He didn't even try to hurt Wanda or I. Let him go."

"Good." Steve transferred the intensity of his hold to her, wrapping his arms around her torso. Wanda didn't listen to what they were saying, but the light they were emitting told her enough.

As things settled down and secure quarters were arranged for Bucky, Wanda realized that Steve and Natasha were unlikely to be moving anywhere given the current developments. Her dislike for the Winter Soldier receded ever so slightly.


	8. Chapter 8

Wanda initially had trouble getting used to the new psychic dynamics on the base and even within the team after the Winter Soldier arrived. She hadn't realized how comfortable she had gotten with the stability, now thoroughly disturbed. Steve was spending a lot of time with him, talking about their past, trying to get him back to who he used to be. Natasha was being cautiously supportive and pretending not to be jealous or frustrated that she had so much competition for Steve's attention. Sam was even less pleased, if that were possible; he'd never been bothered ceding bro-time to Natasha, but seemed almost threatened by Bucky's presence, as if he were worried that he was being replaced. Rhodey had temporarily relocated to the Tower for upgrades to his suit, while Vision remained his unflappable self. Wanda sometimes wished she had his composure. With their new addition's unpredictable and abrupt swings from easygoing potential teammate to hyper-paranoid human weapon, even remembering to call him Bucky was sometimes a challenge.

The challenge had only increased now that Steve and Sam had met up with Rhodey and Stark for a mission in Southeast Asia. Although Bucky still spent the majority of his time in his quarters, directly across from Steve's (or more accurately, Steve and Natasha's,) his appearances for meals and training were very closely monitored indirectly by Ops and directly by whichever Avenger was on call. In spite of the fact that Wanda's shift had ended several hours ago and she was ready to roll into bed, she was maintaining her presence in the gym, weakly punching a heavy bag as she observed Bucky with Natasha.

He had agreed to practicing yoga and tai chi with both of them several times a week in exchange for sparring sessions with Steve every few days. Wanda hadn't been sure about the meditational focused exercises until she'd tried them. As she worked, she found her powers were much easier to control when she could focus her mind. Combined with the training she had been doing with Vision, Wanda felt more controlled with each passing day.

Of course, none of that was helping at the moment. With Steve away, Natasha had taken over sparring with Bucky. She was doing her best to treat him the way she thought Steve would, but Wanda knew it was difficult for her. They'd yet to injure each other. Still, it seemed like a foregone conclusion with the two of them swinging and kicking with abandon on the mats. There were grunts and swears, but nothing concerning as limbs flew, reflecting in the surrounding mirrors.

Wanda suddenly jumped away from the heavy bag, hands raised defensively, as Natasha swore, "Shit!" She glanced in Wanda's direction with a reassuring wave. "Calf cramp." She hobbled around for a moment cursing in Russian before dropping to the mat and starting to stretch. Bucky knelt by the foot she was pulling toward herself and reached for it. She swatted him away. "I got it."

"Just tryin' to help."

Natasha hesitated for a moment and Wanda could feel the conflict racing through her mind – trusting Steve's erratic, brainwashed best friend or her own instincts. To Wanda's surprise, she chose the former. "Okay. Sure."

"Okay." He pressed on the ball of her foot with one hand while using the metal one to massage her calf. "I feel a big knot."

"Yeah." Natasha winced as metal fingers kneaded her lower leg. Gradually, the tension began to leave her body as Wanda watched carefully, still ready to throw Bucky against the wall. "That's better. Thanks."

He didn't let go when she tried to pull away, but kept working. "Keep stretching. Don't want it to tighten up again." His smile was almost shy as he looked up. "Gotta look out for Steve's girl while he's away."

"I really…" The next seconds passed faster than Wanda was able to process. Bucky leaned in, hand moving upwards, and Natasha suddenly caught him by the chin with her free foot, spitting in Russian, "Try it, soldier."

His voice was tense as he tried to look at her while his head was directed toward the ceiling. "Calm down, kitty cat. No need for the claws just yet."

The muscles showed under Natasha's spandex pants as she pushed his chin further back. "Tell me again how you're looking out for Steve by hitting on me."

The tension suddenly deflated as Bucky held up his hands. "I…I'm sorry. It's not me. I wouldn't…not…you smell nice."

She hesitated again before releasing the pressure needed to snap his neck. In one motion, she was on her feet. "We're done for today."

"Right. Sorry." Bucky immediately stood, left the gym and turned toward his quarters. Wanda could see Vision trailing him down the hall. He could be relied upon to hold the watch until relieved. She moved to follow Natasha until she realized Natasha was sinking back to the mats.

Wanda approached cautiously, not wanting to startle Natasha, though the very concept seemed laughable. She sat carefully, wrapping herself into a full lotus position before saying, "I think I could use some meditation today."

"Uh huh." Natasha folded herself into the position without another word. Silence reigned in the gym for several minutes.

Wanda couldn't help but peek at Natasha after a few minutes. "You…you are dealing with Bucky very well."

"I'm doing what I can." She uncrossed her legs and stretched them out, leaning back on her elbows. "Just ask."

"What do you mean?"

Natasha pouted slightly and her voice took on an accent, "Why didn't you hurt him just now? Or kill him in self-defense?"

"I don't sound like that."

"Yeah you do. Anyway, how closely were you paying attention to him when he went from helpful pal to leering sleazeball?"

"It happened so quickly…"

"And you were getting ready to atomize him, right. But there was something…it was in his eyes. There was a change. I could _see_ it. He was doing fine, then suddenly he was the Winter Soldier for a few moments."

Wanda was careful not to make her next statement into a question. "You were not afraid."

"What's he gonna do? Shoot me?" Natasha shrugged. "He's just getting started working on his second chance. I have to give it to him."

"For Steve?"

"For myself. The Winter Soldier and I carried out similar missions. If he can get past them, so can I."

"But you…"

"Save it, Wanda. You don't know who I really was. Amnesia may be the best thing for some parts of Bucky's life since Hydra grabbed him."

"You and I were enemies once," Wanda said after a brief silence. "Now we are friends."

Natasha let the thought pass without comment, leaning forward to grasp her feet in a stretch, though she seemed to be hiding a smile in her knees.

If it had really been there, it disappeared when Wanda said, "Bucky is very important to Steve."

"He is." She remained in her stretch, not looking up. "He was a good man. He was Steve's best friend. Hopefully, he still has that in him. At least we know there's potential."

"What are you…?"

"Nothing." Natasha rose slowly rose to her feet. "Let's get some lunch."

They bumped into Hill, who was happy to give them an impromptu briefing on the guys' mission in Southeast Asia while they ate. After finding out that they were due back in a day, Natasha returned to Ops with Hill for a more detailed rundown and possible satellite call.

Wanda considered taking a walk outside, but the sky had become overcast since the morning. She wandered back toward her quarters, planning to catch up on the novel she had started some days before. Her indirect route led her down the hall where Vision was standing placidly outside of the Winter Soldier – Bucky's – quarters. He nodded politely as she approached. "Hello, Wanda."

She inclined her head toward the door he was guarding. "Anything interesting?"

"Alas, our new friend is quiescent at the moment." He regarded her carefully. "Have I said something wrong?"

"No." She wondered if the look she was giving him was anything like the ones she got when she inadvertently finished people's sentences. "I just wonder if he is really a friend."

"Ah. You are still as unsure of him as he himself is. May I ask what happened to upset him earlier?"

"He seemed to…forget himself for a moment. I thought…oh!" She cut herself off as Natasha walked around the corner. "Is everything all right downstairs?"

Natasha nodded. "Fine. Steve will be back…everyone will be back by 0400 tomorrow." She paused in front of Bucky's door, then glanced at Vision. "Think he'd mind a visitor?"

"It is not a prison cell."

"I'm pretty familiar with places that aren't prison cells," she replied with a mirthless smile. After Vision nodded, she pressed the buzzer.

There was a slight crackle before a muffled, "Yeah?"

"May I come in?"

The silence lasted so long that Wanda was about to speak when the intercom came to life again. "Okay. If you want."

"Thanks." Natasha entered and closed the door before Wanda could get a look inside the darkened room.

She lingered as Vision resumed his calm watch. "Should we…?"

"I believe Natasha can take care of herself, or signal for assistance if necessary. If you would like to provide company, however, I am amenable."

Wanda smiled as she entered into a somewhat abstruse conversation with the only person she knew who could understand her powers, at least to a certain degree. For some reason, she felt some of the affection for Steve she'd only ever sensed from Natasha flowing twofold from Bucky's quarters.


	9. Chapter 9

Wanda found it frustrating that the heavy bag barely moved, even when she put all her strength behind a punch. Training with the Avengers had notably increased her stamina, strength and fitness, but she lagged behind the team when not aided by her powers. Granted, she knew she could never match any of the guys for raw power, just based on her smaller stature and frame, but she still felt like a paper doll compared to Natasha. Again, that was setting the bar awfully high. Wanda wondered if she should ask Hill to spar sometime, though maybe start out with some cross-training to see what she was up against; Hill hadn't become Fury's right hand (and possibly left eye) without some intensely fierce skills.

Or 'street cred.' (Wanda and Vision had been working together on English colloquialisms. His earlier incarnation as JARVIS had given him some insight into the way Tony Stark used the language, which didn't always seem to apply to society at large.)

Now, for example, it was time to open a can of whoop-ass. She made sure to center her mind on her physical being before unleashing another hit that barely seemed to bother the bag. Steve destroyed these things on a regular basis. Hell, even Sam and Rhodey needed someone to hold the bag when they were training. She was still trying to find the best way to hit without injuring her taped knuckles. She tried a combination Natasha had taught her, but although the bag finally moved, it swung back and nearly knocked her down.

She was on her feet and on the verge of turning the bag into a pile of dust when Steve opened the gym door and called, "Hey, Wanda! Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Of course." She pretended she hadn't been about to lose control and placed several jabs on what would have been the bag's chin. It was the first time she'd seen him alone since he and the rest of the guys had returned from Southeast Asia. "How was your mission?"

"Oh, y'know. Humid, sweaty. I need some kind of hot weather suit. Nat suggested a Speedo and I'm afraid to find out what that is." He moved to stand behind the bag, keeping it steady with minimal effort as she unleashed her unassisted physical fury. His chatter remained casual. "Keep your elbow up when…yeah, like that. Good form. You've been working hard on the hand-to-hand." There was a pause as he suddenly tensed. "I heard that everything went pretty smoothly with Bucky except for one incident."

"Yes." Wanda was slightly breathless with effort. "You should probably speak to…"

"I've already talked with both of them. In Bucky's version, he's a disgusting pig who tried to steal my girl the moment I wasn't around and she defended her honor and mine. In Natasha's version, he was generously helping her when he was momentarily overtaken by his former programming and needed a few moments to come back to himself. The only thing they seem to agree on is that they had a conversation later where they talked about how great they think I am and how neither of them deserve me."

"The last part is true. Not that they don't deserve you, but you are perfect." Wanda found it frustrating that she couldn't communicate both her sincerity and sarcasm through her punches, as most of the team seemed to have perfected in training. "What do you want me to say?"

"I'm not perfect. When you grow up in Brooklyn, the only perfect person you ever meet is your ma. And mine was. But I just…you were there with Nat and Bucky, so I thought maybe you could give me the version without the guilt or personal demons or sparing of my feelings."

Wanda tried to catch her breath as she continued to work the bag and give an account of what had happened in the gym the previous day. Steve stepped back, allowing the bag to swing when she had finished. Not expecting the forces to come back at her after her final hit, she found herself on the floor. He was immediately there to offer her a hand up. "Sorry. So, basically Bucky was helping Nat stretch out a cramp and lost it for a minute and she didn't kill him while he got it back. I get to be proud of both of them. Thanks, Wanda."

"Not at all." She nodded to him and turned back to the bag. She could sense his hesitation as he lingered, watching her hit it repeatedly. "Is there something else?"

"I…I just want to make sure that there's nothing you want to talk about. Or, if there's ever anything you _do_ want to talk about…I'm here. We're all here."

"I know."

"I'm serious. If something's bugging you or if you just need to talk. I know you don't like to talk about your brother, but…"

"If I need to talk, I will talk."

Steve left without another word. Her knuckles were bleeding through the tape when she finally called it quits almost an hour later.

* * *

Exhausted from her earlier workout, Wanda leaned against the wall across from Bucky's quarters, wishing the approval for keeping him on constant video surveillance or regular guard rather than an Avenger at all times had come through. She sighed as she settled into the warm emotional cocoon of Steve and Natasha's lovemaking. The intensity had ratcheted up exponentially since the last time she'd experienced them together. Their physical bond had taken on an entirely new dimension that threatened to overcome her. It took her a few seconds or an infinity to realize she needed to put some space between herself and them.

She hit the wall across the passage with more force than she'd intended, but even the small distanced weakened the connection. She didn't have time to appreciate how much further she would have to go because she was suddenly caught in a powerful fantasy as Bucky pumped his living hand up and down with determination. He was picturing Natasha, bent over and…

Wanda stumbled to the center of the hallway, trying to close her mind to the events surrounding her. Unfortunately, she was in the perfect spot to experience Steve, Natasha and Bucky's sensations simultaneously. It was so, so good. Why did it have to feel so good? She sank to her knees, trying not to feel everything. Oh, God. Oh…she squeezed her eyes shut. Oh. Oooh!

When she opened her eyes, she realized she was in the infirmary after a moment of disorientation. The monitor beeping at her side registered the change in her breathing, reminding her to relax immediately. No one on the other side of the curtain seemed terribly concerned with her at the moment, anyway. The white glow, softened as it filtered through the cloth, revealed that Steve and Natasha were among the crowd of medical personnel who occasionally checked on her.

Steve was yelling, almost hysterically, "He didn't have anything to do with this! Why are we blaming him when there's no evidence?"

"Calm down," Natasha urged, her voice like warm butter as she rubbed her hands against his chest. "Hill will have the video and the biometric records here in a minute and Sam is keeping an eye on Bucky for now."

"Along with an armed platoon!"

"Sam won't let them into Bucky's quarters. You trust Sam."

"Of course I…Nat, stop trying to calm me down."

Her hands never stopped massaging his pectorals. "Then stop freaking out."

"It's hard not to when everyone assumes…God, one thing goes wrong and Buck is the automatic…"

"Hill!" Natasha interrupted, though she continued to rub his chest. "Show Steve why you're about to dismiss the guards around Bucky's quarters."

"I already have," Hill replied, her dark shadow contrasting with the couple's gentle radiance. "His door didn't open until the regular patrol reported Wanda unconscious and the noise started. Based on the footage, no one was present. She just fainted."

Natasha's glowing shadow held out a hand. "Can I see that?"

"Knock yourself out," Hill replied, passing her a tablet. "Just not literally. I'd hate to see Steve's reaction to _that_."

"I…well, at least we know Bucky didn't do anything."

"Shhh," Natasha admonished as a door slammed somewhere. There was a brief silence. "Are you looking at the time stamp?"

He grunted. "So?"

"So we're trying to figure out why Wanda fainted."

"She probably just forgot to eat dinner or something."

"Steve, I know what we were doing at eleven-thirty. She comes off the wall against our quarters, then does the same thing against the other wall, only to pass out in the middle of the hall. Maybe Bucky was…"

"Having a nightmare that freaked her out?"

"Not exactly. Come on, babe, don't make me spell it out for you. As a guy, you know what guys do when they're alone, feeling lonely…or bored…or horny…"

"I will not…"

"Look, I'm not asking you to go interrogate Bucky about his masturbation habits. Hell, we have sex more than any couple in history and you still do it when you're alone in the shower."

Wanda felt herself reddening along with Steve as he sputtered, "That is…"

"I'm not making judgments or complaining," Natasha went on. "I'm just saying that maybe she got caught in some kind of psychic sex tsunami and fainted because she was overstimulated or something."

"That's…"

"Exactly right." Wanda wasn't sure why she decided that moment was probably time to reveal she was awake, just that she was certain Natasha had already realized the fact and was just messing with Steve to pass the time. "I was unprepared for blocking so much…energy."

"See?" Natasha said, unperturbed. She pulled the chair beside the bed under her as she sat. "Are you feeling okay?"

"I guess," Wanda replied, raising a hand to feel the swelling on her forehead where she'd hit the floor. "A bit of a headache. I didn't mean to…"

"Obviously. You bounced off the walls like you'd been hit with an electric shock."

"I wasn't trying to…"

"We know," Natasha patted her hand and looked at her significantly. "Just focus on feeling better."

She wasn't sure if it was her psychic urging or Natasha's own suggestion that got Steve to leave to check on Bucky a few minutes later. Natasha rolled her eyes as her Steve-glow faded the further he got from the infirmary. "I thought he'd never go. So what are you trying to cover up?"

"I…"

"I know you weren't doing anything on purpose, so I'm not angry. I just what to know what's going on. You're obviously covering for Bucky, unless Steve is way more imaginative than I've ever given him credit for. So what's the big secret? Bucky is into Steve?"

Wanda swallowed hard. "He…he was actually fantasizing about you. Quite vividly."

She frowned. "Well, that's problematic, but I guess we can deal with it. Sorry you got caught up in the middle. Try and get some rest."

"I think I will ask for a painkiller. And perhaps a sedative."

"Good idea. I'll check back in the morning."

As Wanda drifted into a dreamless sleep, she tried guiltily to recall the warmth of Steve and Natasha's coupling but it wasn't something she could reproduce.


	10. Chapter 10

Wanda glanced around the darkened theater, wondering if anyone had recognized them when she, Natasha and Hill – Maria! Maria on girls' night out! – had walked in. No one was looking in their direction. Maybe it was the conspicuous lack of leather; Natasha and Maria were both wearing nondescript hoodies and jeans, while Wanda had opted for a light jacket and khakis. They had come to see Sandra Bullock pretend to be awkward around handsome men, so it wasn't unexpected that the other moviegoers had overlooked the superheroes in their midst. Still, Natasha had been on the front of every magazine, newspaper and online publication in a liplock with Captain America in the recent past. Wanda had expected at least some recognition of her famous friend, if not anyone seeking her own autograph.

Natasha abruptly poked her with a plastic package. "Sour Patch Kid?"

"No, thank you." She looked down at the bucket of popcorn in her lap and wondered why she thought 'Large, with free refills' was an appropriate size for one person. She mechanically offered the popcorn to Natasha. "Popcorn?"

"Relax." She reached into the bucket for a handful, which she somehow crammed into her mouth without looking awful – yet another subtlety of spycraft, no doubt. She even managed to speak clearly around the mouthful without spitting crumbs, "God, if I'd realized you were gonna be so tense, we'd have gone to the bar first."

Wanda took another look around, concerned that they had chosen seats in the middle of a row near the center of the theater. "It is just…"

Someone behind them let loose with a harsh, "Shhhh!"

"Hey, it's a Coca-Cola commercial," Natasha spat back in a rough whisper. "It's not rude unless you're talking during the previews." She continued in a less vehement tone to Wanda, "Stay calm. Enjoy the dumb romcom. Booze and bar food later."

"But…"

"Shhh!" The admonition came from Natasha this time as the first green screen announcing a PG-13 rated film had appeared onscreen. Although Wanda had to admit she had enjoyed the coming attractions more than the actual film, it had been fun to watch her companions laugh at the contrived onscreen antics with abandon. She rarely saw them so loose, so uninhibited. The movie _was_ fairly funny. She found herself giggling at times, in spite of her internal commitment to stay on the alert for the night. She had even agreed to be the designated driver for the night before learning the car had an AI, courtesy of Tony Stark, that would allow them to navigate back to HQ without human aid.

Now she was sitting at a bar – apparently the best one in town, town being the small community twenty minutes' drive from their base – with Natasha and Maria, being served by an overly familiar bartender named Dave who seemed to think it was okay to wink at the Black Widow. This was clearly not their first foray into the Clydesdale Tavern; Dave hadn't even asked for their orders, but immediately asked where Helen was. It had taken Wanda half a second to realize he meant Dr. Cho. This was nothing like what Wanda had come to expect from her normally strait-laced colleagues. Well, maybe Natasha, just a little. Still.

Natasha grinned and introduced Wanda, then gave Dave a fist-bump when he told her he'd gotten his hands on a case of specially imported Russian vodka, just for her. He'd poured out four shots for them to christen the freshly opened bottle with him. Maria had let out a bark of laughter before saying she'd stick with her usual. Natasha was already pouring the vodka into a glass with some ice herself. At a loss and with a burning throat from the vodka, Wanda looked to the smiling bartender and said, "Uh…something sweet? Please?"

"Got just the thing for you, sweetheart. Oh, and we ran outta hot wings last night, so sorry about that." He set a small stack of menus in front of them. "Some good burger specials, though."

"Consider yourself lucky you got this." Natasha toasted him with her vodka. When he had moved away to make the other drinks, she leaned toward Maria, "So-o-o-o, how was your dinner with Sam?"

"Shouldn't you be more concerned about Sam and Steve's dinner with Bucky?"

"Please, they took him to a McDonald's off the interstate and Rhodey was probably sitting on the roof, just in case. I think that was the unofficial plan, anyway. Our phones would be buzzing like broken vibrators if anything had gone wrong. Spill."

Maria sighed and fiddled with her napkin after checking her phone. "We went to that nice place down the street."

"The only appropriate date night within fifty miles," Natasha suppled to Wanda, smirking. "And?"

"And it was nice. We had a good time."

"Oh, please. _We're_ having a good time. You went on a date with a guy we all think is awesome, who finally plucked up his considerable courage and asked you out!"

"Hey, Sam is great, but it was only one date."

"So far."

"We did make plans for next week, barring any missions coming up."

Whatever Natasha was about to crow about was interrupted by Dave's reappearance. "There we go, ladies. Cosmo for the marvelous Maria and a Gummi Bear martini for wondrous Wanda. Had a chance to look at the menus yet?"

"Clydesdale special burger, rare, sweet potato fries," Natasha immediately said. "And thanks for leaving the bottle."

"I know my best customers. Which is how I know I should also be getting ready to write down a turkey Reuben on marble rye and curly fries."

"He's good," Maria agreed with a nod. "But let's see how you do with a complete stranger."

"I thought you said she was your friend!" Dave cried out, stepping back in faked shock.

Natasha and Maria immediately laughed and Wanda tore her attention away from the small candies in the bottom of her drink. "Oh…I…" She glanced down at the menu, picking the first thing her eyes landed on. "Philly steak and cheese?"

"Good choice. Onions, peppers, the works?"

"Sure."

"Fries, curly fries, sweet potato fries, onion rings, cole…"

"Fries, please."

"I'll get those right in for you."

When they were left to their drinks, Natasha picked up where she had left off. "So you and Sam have another date! Going back to Robinson's or are you planning something bigger?"

Maria blushed. "I'm not sure yet."

"Oh, that shade of red says weekend in New York. I'm only jealous if he got you ballet tickets."

"There's nothing definite yet…"

Almost in spite of herself, Wanda said, "He does seem committed."

Natasha downed her vodka on the rocks in a flourish and slammed the glass on the bar. "Psychic says what?"

"I…"

"Wait, do your really know what Sam is thinking?" Maria asked, suddenly less concerned with Natasha's needling. "Is he really…?"

"I cannot read his exact thoughts…" Wanda felt a finger poking into her side more ominously than any knife, so she concluded with the truth, "but I can sense his intentions. He is very sincere."

"Told you." Natasha acted as if she had been quietly observing the whole time. "I can't understand why you're worried about a guy like Sam."

Maria huffed, "Says the woman who wasn't sure about getting involved with Captain America."

"That's…fair." Natasha poured herself another glass. "At least Sam's smart enough to get a nice hotel room. I had to convince Steve it wasn't a good plan to stay at Stark Tower when we go into the city."

"Avengers' Tower," Maria corrected. "And wouldn't Tony Stark's presence be explanation enough?"

"You'd think, but he saw the rates on hotel rooms and balked. We had to have the talk about price inflation again. Some things just reset his brain to '40s mode. It's fun to snap him out of it, though. And it did end up being pretty expensive replacing the bedframe at the W."

Wanda didn't bother to ask for clarification, letting the conversation move on to other topics. Her drink was surprisingly tasty and she found herself asking for her own refill when Dave came a few moments later at Maria's signal. "Food should be out in a few. Same thing, sweetheart?"

Wanda nodded, chewing on the last gummi bear from her glass. Since she was no longer distracted by the topic of Sam and Maria, Natasha turned and quirked an eyebrow as she said, "I wasn't aware they had a children's menu for cocktails."

She shrugged. "I liked it. It was tasty."

"Explains why you can't take a punch, Gummi Bear. At least we've finally got a good nickname for you."

"No, I can't be…"

"Too late," Maria replied. "Just be glad you didn't get a sex on the beach or comms would get _really_ awkward."

"What is…?"

Natasha cut off the question, "Either sand in some really uncomfortable places or vodka, peach schnapps, orange juice and cranberry juice. Waste of vodka if you ask me."

"Nobody did," Maria said, raising her glass. "Before we forget, we should toast to Wanda's first girls' night."

"Absolutely," Natasha agreed.

Wanda found herself blushing and strangely happy as she clinked her glass against her friends'. The emotional tears she could feel coming on were negated by the delivery of a gigantic sandwich that she couldn't possibly wrap her mouth around. She tentatively raised half the beast and attempted a bite. The tiny triangle she managed to get was good. Really good. She suddenly wished she'd taken up one of many earlier offers to go out for reasons totally unrelated to friendship.

She was attempting to unhinge her jaw like a python when Natasha turned to her with a mouthful of half-chewed cheeseburger and asked, "You think Bucky is gonna be okay?"

"I have no idea."

"'kay." She swallowed and wiped her lips with a napkin. "I just…y'know with the psychic stuff, maybe you'd gotten an idea. Steve's worried." The contemplative look lasted another moment before she regained her joviality. "Don't worry about it, Gummi Bear. Eat! You need something in your stomach to soak up the alcohol."

Wanda didn't bother to argue about the popcorn she'd eaten earlier, eager to get back to her delicious if intimidating sandwich. The rest of the night passed in a sort of happy blur, concluding with Natasha and Maria tucking her into bed as she told them how much she loved them. She thought. With the pounding headache she had, Wanda wasn't about to venture out and ask questions. She still couldn't wait for the next night out.


	11. Chapter 11

The heat had been turned up to its maximum level in the gym to simulate a hot-weather combat scenario. Vision, the only team member this wouldn't have bothered, was in New York at Avengers' Tower for a series of scans on the mindstone, scrupulously overseen by Dr. Cho and a team of researchers to ensure Tony Stark didn't get any ideas. Wanda had grown more ambivalent about the idea with the passage of time; Ultron had destroyed her country and murdered her brother, but he had also created a being she considered one of her closest friends. Okay, maybe one didn't make up for the others, but things couldn't be changed at this point, and it helped her understand a part of Steve's desperation to bring Bucky back to himself.

So far, the idea seemed to be working. Bucky was spending more time with the team, more time outside of HQ (if two more successful trips to McDonald's counted), and more time as himself. He was currently in full gear, sparring good naturedly with Steve, who was clearly pulling his punches. They were both smiling.

Wanda wasn't smiling. That seemed like too much effort. She wasn't sure why they would be in full kits in this kind of weather, but she was glad to see she wasn't the only one dripping sweat. They had gone from calisthenics to sprints to sparring in pairs. She made a move to slip out of her leather jacket as Rhodey, wearing sweats in lieu of his climate-controlled armor, turned away to take a long drink of water, only to be shouted at when he turned back, "Keep it on Maximoff!"

"Bet you're the first dude to ever shout that!" Sam countered from his supine position on the mat where Natasha had tossed him a few seconds before. He wasn't wearing his wingpack, but his body armor was heavy enough that he'd been allowed to leave his arms uncovered.

No such luck for his sparring partner, who was getting crankier by the minute in her catsuit. Natasha lowered the zipper another half-inch. "Are we almost done with this bullshit?"

"Language!" echoed around the gym from three comparatively merry voices and a stern one.

"It's important for us to test our stamina under all conditions." Steve paused his bout with Bucky and looked at her pointedly. His eyes widened almost to the full extent his helmet allowed. "And raise that zipper!"

Wanda worried for a moment that Natasha was going to do the exact opposite as she stared Steve down with her fingers on the pull tab, but she yanked it up almost to her neck. "Sir, yes, sir."

"Natasha…" Wanda had reached the point where she really only noticed Steve and Natasha's glow together when it changed; right now, Steve's was reaching out with little tendrils of light toward Natasha and her posture was relaxing.

Suddenly, she forgot all about how romantic she the scene was as Bucky knocked Steve down with high kick to the chest. "She's _so_ right. It's too hot in here." His voice was lower, more gravelly than usual. "Way. Too. Hot." No one moved as the Winter Soldier sauntered toward Natasha. "Of course, the temperature's not the only thing in here that's _way_ too hot."

Natasha stiffened. Her command came in Russian, "Stand down, soldier."

"Not ready to comply." He grabbed her shoulders roughly and jammed his lips against hers. Seconds later, he was in the fetal position, whimpering on the floor.

She stumbled slightly as she stepped backward. "Bucky?"

"Yeah," he squeaked, "'m'back."

Steve either didn't hear or didn't care, charging past in a red hot blur of rage. He was gripping Bucky by the collar of his shirt, dragging him into the air. "If you _ever_ touch her…"

"Steve!" Natasha grabbed his arm as he started to shake the now moaning Bucky. "Steve, it's over!" Her light was now searching out his, turning it back to white from angry red. "He had a bad moment, but it's over now. You can put him down."

He slowly lowered his arms until Bucky's feet touched the floor. When he let go, Bucky immediately dropped and curled up again. "Buck, I…" He looked toward Natasha. "I…are you…?"

"I'm fine, Steve." She gently unbuckled the chinstrap of his helmet and pulled it off his head, a shower of sweat droplets misting the air around him as she did so. The helmet dropped from her hand as she pulled him in for a soft kiss. The strangely normal moment (a thought flashed through Wanda's mind that it might be odd to consider superheroes kissing as a sign of normalcy) propelled everyone out of their paralysis. Sam offered Bucky a bottle of water while Rhodey called for medical assistance. Wanda was at a loss as to what she should do. She ended up watching Steve and Natasha whisper to each other in their cocoon of white light as a stretcher came to bring Bucky to the infirmary.

* * *

Hours and a long shower later, Wanda sat in the lounge, wondering how sharks could be so fascinating that they merited not only a documentary, but a week's worth of programming that she couldn't turn off, no matter how much she told herself she wanted to. Even Vision had declared his fill after the fourth day, though the point was currently moot with him in New York. Wanda had to admit that even though the Discovery Channel was informative, it was far less entertaining than sitting through _Jaws_ with her teammates. None of that changed her inability to change the channel. Although she couldn't imagine when she'd need to know about the hammerhead's enhanced electroreceptory system, she found it more riveting than necessary.

She was so absorbed in the program she didn't realize she was no longer alone until a shuffling step was audible right behind the couch. Her reflexes had obviously improved with the months of training, because she wasn't aware of rising and spinning until she was on her feet, ready to defend herself from…

Her vastly improved reflexes proved powerless to prevent her from laughing at the sight of Bucky in a t-shirt over a hospital johnnie that bunched oddly around the hips and revealed his bare legs down to his bright yellow socks, wincing and moving like an elderly arthritic Quasimodo. She immediately lowered her hands, dispersing the energy she had been preparing to unleash. "That…you…" She tried to stifle another laugh.

"No, no. Let it out." He sank into one of the soft chairs with a groan. It was hard to remember the menace of the Winter Soldier's earlier appearance as Bucky shifted around, trying to find a comfortable position without much success.

"I see you are still in pain."

"That's one way to put it. Another is that the Doc has me wearing a fancy ice-diaper to control the swelling."

"That is…"

"Better than I deserve?"

"I was not going to say that."

"Yeah, I figured. No one is saying it, but they're sure as hell all thinking it." He sighed. "Everyone but Steve. Stupid punk actually apologized to me for losing his temper. At least he didn't lie and tell me Natasha was sorry, too."

"I suppose it's no comfort that she has a nasty bruise just above her knee."

He gave a single bark of laughter. "She smashed my balls so hard she hurt herself? Well, I'm surprised Steve apologized at all."

Wanda laughed along with him. He was surprisingly easygoing when he was in his right mind, which was increasingly common. It wasn't hard to understand why Steve wanted his old friend back or why they all found setbacks like the one today so upsetting. "Are you really okay? No permanent damage?"

"Not from what they can tell right now, but I guess they won't be able to tell for sure until the swelling goes down. It'd be mostly an ego thing if there were. No kids in my future."

She nodded. "You are doing better, anyway. Mentally, I mean."

"Thanks. Still, you can only come back so far." He seemed to settle into his seat. Wanda tried to refocus on the fine details of bioelectric fields as he asked, "Did she tell you about the first time we, uh, met? Natasha, I mean."

"No. I gathered that you shot her on several occasions, but…" she trailed off. She had been present for one of those wounds and heard about another from Sam, but the other was a mystery to her.

There was a long pause. Bucky eventually said, "I think you should talk to her. Get the whole story."

"What else is there?"

"It's…I need Steve to understand how dangerous I am, and I don't think Natasha is telling him everything. She's protecting him. But he needs to know." He was silent until one shark documentary turned into another. "You're, uh, like, psychic, right?"

Wanda was caught off-guard. "I…I have some abilities, yes."

"Can you…look, I know Natasha isn't gonna tell Steve the whole story because she's trying to make him happy, but if you can explain it to him…I just…someone has to know the truth and tell him about what happened. Might as well be you."

She hesitated. Her earlier experiences with Steve and Natasha had given her plenty of practice listening in on people's thoughts and she had used her powers to pull the negativity to the surface of the Avengers' minds while working for Ultron, but she had never experienced another person's memory with their full consent. It was too tempting an opportunity to pass up, despite her misgivings. "You are sure?"

"Yeah." He nodded, watching her carefully as she moved to the arm of his chair. "So, should I just think about that day or…?"

"Just focus on the memory." She placed her fingertips on his temples. "Bring the memory to…"

Wanda was abruptly no longer in her own mind. It was warm, dusty. The Winter Soldier was watching a nondescript jeep speed along the road above the Black Sea through a sniper's scope, the image sharpened by his ruby-tinted goggles. The target had been under observation since making enemy contact, through the border crossing at Parsabad from Iran into Azerbaijan, then into Georgia, Russia and now the Ukraine. He had been following personally for two days, observing the terrain and waiting for the best spot to eliminate his target. The road east of Odessa had presented the best option, a high cliff overlooking a desolate road that skirted farmland adjacent to the northern shore of the sea.

The jeep approached the hairpin turn he had selected. He squeezed the trigger three times, leading it as passed through his sights and watching with no small satisfaction as the vehicle fishtailed on two flat tires, careening in one direction, then another before plunging over the edge of the cliff toward the sea. He shouldered his weapon. He had to check the crash site to ensure there had been no survivors, but there was no rush as picked his way down the hillside back to his motorcycle.

When he arrived at the crash, he pulled right up to where the tire tracks went off the cliff. The jeep was smoking on a ledge about a hundred meters down. Lifting his goggles off his eyes, he squinted down at the vehicle. The doors could have burst open on impact, but there was something off. He shut off the rumbling motorcycle engine and immediately heard whimpering in Farsi, shushed by a competent but accented voice. He had been warned about the target's escort, a former KGB asset now in the employ of SHIELD. Directing his attention toward the sound, he raised his weapon.

A small depression along the embankment revealed a goat path to the sometimes brackish water below. A woman momentarily appeared over the edge, dragging a man in spite of her obvious injuries. She tried to draw a pistol from her thigh holster while covering the target simultaneously as she saw him, but her left arm was broken in several places, at least two showing as unexpected joints under her leather jacket. She somehow found another gun with her right hand, but he had already fired. The bullet passed directly through her body into the head of his target.

He walked slowly toward the two bodies now collapsed on the ground, ready for retaliation that never came. As he approached, he realized that the enemy agent had been injured badly enough in the crash not to present a threat to him. He catalogued at least seven bleeding wounds on her body as he gripped her throat in his metal hand and lifted her up. For a moment, lust clouded his thoughts; it would be so satisfying to satiate his lust on a woman not provided by his handlers. His desire was only strengthened when she kicked weakly at him, toe of her boot striking his thigh. He considered her as she struggled in his grasp. In addition to the broken arm, she had rib injuries and probably internal bleeding. He could have her here and barely compromise his mission timing.

The engineer suddenly twitched. He tossed the SHIELD agent aside without another thought and moved toward his target. Although he was sure the twitching had been involuntary, he fired three more rounds into the man's head. There was a crackle in his earbud requesting confirmation of the kill. No time for the agent now. He glanced at her, struggling to find a weapon in the middle of the road as he walked away. He revved his motorcycle in the hot silence. He didn't look back as he rounded the sharp corner.

Wanda's eyes were wide and her mouth agape as he, the Winter Soldier, _Bucky_ gently pulled her hands away from his head. "So now you know. Could you forgive that?"

"I…you…." She stood slowly, trying to regulate her movements as she left the lounge, but she found herself running down the hallway a moment later. Natasha caught her as fell into Steve's quarters after demanding entry with the intercom and her fists. "He…you…"

"Shhh, Gummi Bear. It's okay."

"He…he wanted you dead."

She felt Natasha leading her to a seat on the bed as she shooed Steve out. "He wouldn't be the first guy."

"Outside Odessa…he told me…"

"It doesn't matter. It's over."

"No, he wanted me to tell Steve…where's Steve?"

"If Bucky wants to tell Steve, he can do it himself. You shouldn't have to be a surrogate."

Wanda sniffled. "What about you?"

"Don't worry about Steve and me. We got past my shit to get together. You really think a little thing like a brainwashed best friend is gonna come between us?"

"No." She rubbed her wrist against her eyes. "But what about Bucky?"

"We keep moving forward. He keeps getting better until he can leave the Winter Soldier behind." Wanda leaned into Natasha as she spoke, "We all have to leave the past behind and take the best parts of ourselves forward. Some of us are just going to have to work harder." Although she was stroking Wanda's hair, Wanda felt like Natasha was referring to herself in the last sentiment. It was so much easier to accept comfort after the memory she had experienced. She didn't want to think about what Natasha had gone through on the road outside Odessa.


	12. Chapter 12

Wanda tried to throw a burst of energy at the Winter Soldier as she ran across the gym, but her powers were terrifyingly absent. She couldn't do anything to stop his metal hand crushing Natasha's throat. Steve lay on the floor nearby, trying to rise from the pool of blood flowing from the multiple gunshot wounds to his chest and stomach. Wanda was still several meters away when the Winter Soldier tossed Natasha's limp body away like so much garbage. His eyes flashed with pleasure and rage as he turned to where Wanda now stood rooted to the floor. His lips twisted into a terrifying grin. "You're next."

"No!" Wanda threw her arms up and got tangled in the sheets. She was totally disoriented, wanting to lash out at something, anything to make herself feel safe again. She managed to free her hands and raise them to confront the threat.

"Hey, hey. Calm down."

She looked to her side in shock. "You…you were dead. He killed you and I couldn't stop him."

"It was just a nightmare," Natasha replied, propping herself up on her elbows. "You experienced one of the Winter Soldier's memories, remember? You've been having a rough night, but you were just dreaming."

The previous hours came back in a rush, frightening her more than the nightmare she was already forgetting. She ducked back under the covers, pulling near Natasha. "He showed me. There was a car crash and he killed the man you were protecting and he almost killed you and…"

Natasha interrupted gently, "That was a long time ago."

"Not so long." She snuggled closer as Natasha wrapped an arm around her shoulders and began rubbing her back, almost like her mother used to do so long ago. "He…when he was looking at you in the road…he…he wanted to…"

"Ssh. He didn't." How could Natasha even know what Wanda had been about to say? Somehow she did; maybe that was why she hadn't been so alarmed about Bucky or the Winter Soldier's attraction to her. Wanda both envied and adored that confidence. "Everything's fine."

Wanda sniffled slightly, holding on tighter. This was ridiculous. It wasn't even her experience, but she was the one crying. Perhaps it was because she was feeling the potential grief in the present. If Natasha had died on the road outside Odessa, Wanda wouldn't be imagining the loss of a woman she was starting to view as the older sister she'd always wished she'd had. Natasha would have taken care of her and Pietro after their parents' deaths, kept them safe in war-torn Sokovia, stopped them from being recruited by Hydra. Things could have been so different. Not that she would sacrifice her current family for one that never could have been – it wouldn't bring her brother or her parents back, anyway. She took a shaky breath, still huddled against Natasha, but inhaling a very masculine scent. She suddenly remembered her headlong flight to Steve and Natasha's room after seeing the Winter Soldier's memory. Natasha was surrounded by a soft glow, so Steve couldn't be far, probably right outside the door, standing guard. That would be so like him. Out of politeness more than anything else, Wanda asked, "Where is Steve?"

A bright hand suddenly appeared over the edge of the bed and waved. "Right here."

Wanda tried to laugh, but it came out as a choked, uncomfortable sound. "You made him sleep on the floor?"

"Not at all. You fell asleep and he decided that you could have his space for the night, but he would stay close so you would feel safe. He's in full-on nanny hero mode."

A petulant reply came from the floor, "Am not."

"You changed into your Army t-shirt, then had a stern conversation with Bucky and stole a sleeping bag from the supply room."

"Borrowed, and only because the quartermaster wasn't there to sign it out officially."

Natasha reached her hand down to pat his chest. "Wanda and I appreciate your chivalry."

"I…I will go back to my room," Wanda said, though she made no move to pull away from Natasha. "Steve should not have to suffer because I am…"

"Forget it, kiddo. He'll just camp in the hallway if I throw him out."

"Thank you," Wanda whispered.

"No problem," Steve answered, sleeping bag rustling has he shifted in it.

"Try to go back to sleep."

Although the suggestion was made kindly, Wanda had no problem interpreting the subtext that Natasha had reached her limit for comforting snuggling. She scooted back toward Steve's side of the bed, where the scent of super-soldier was slightly stronger. It was comforting, too, in its way. The light Steve and Natasha emitted disappeared when Wanda closed her eyes, which was less comforting. As she felt herself drifting off, she opened her eyes for a last look before falling asleep.

Steve chose that moment to whisper loudly, "Nat?"

"Mmm?"

"Is Wanda asleep?"

"Why?"

Wanda had the feeling that Natasha knew she wasn't, but tried to normalize her breathing.

"I just…when I talked to Bucky, he told me everything about when he shot you. The first time, I mean."

" _I_ told you that after Fury faked his death, not that we knew he was faking at the time."

Steve ignored the acid in the second part of the statement, saying, "You left out a few details."

"They weren't relevant. Besides, I'm pretty sure I told you we crashed off a cliff. Not even you would get through that without a few bumps and bruises."

"He said he wanted to…"

"Steve, Bucky didn't do or want to do anything. It was the Winter Soldier. When the beast rears its ugly head, I think we've demonstrated we can deal with it. Go to sleep."

There was a long pause in which Wanda nearly dozed off, but Steve whispered, "If you're giving Bucky so much slack for my sake, you don't have to."

"I'm not."

"Oh." The sleeping bag rustled for a few moments. "Y'know, after dropping Bucky from the train in 1945, my biggest regret is you."

"Gee, thanks."

"No, I didn't mean it like that. I mean…when I first recognized Bucky in Washington, when I found out he was the Winter Soldier…I didn't notice you'd been shot. You took a bullet and you still tried to make me feel better about…about failing him. You could have been dying, but you…"

"I didn't die and nothing was your fault."

"If I had…"

"If it had been physically possible to rescue Bucky in 1945, you would have done it. What happened to him or me isn't your fault. We'll talk about this later. Or some other time, anyway. Now, seriously, go to sleep."

The pause this time was shorter. "I love you."

Natasha sighed loudly. Then there was a shift in the mattress, followed by a simultaneous thud and 'oof' sound, and a long, soft kiss, which Wanda tried her hardest not to feel without success. At least it was an enjoyable failure, communicating deep love with lips and tongue and tender embrace. Natasha pulled back first. "Love you, too."

When Wanda woke the next morning, she glanced over the far side of the bed before getting up. As she'd thought, Natasha was still on the floor, curled around Steve as they slept.


	13. Chapter 13

Over the next few weeks, there was only one 'Code Winter,' which was fine with everyone except Hill, who had apparently put a lot of effort into implementing the protocol. Wanda got the feeling she wasn't really all that disappointed. Wanda was certainly happy about it, though not as happy as Bucky. Nobody liked being hit by Natasha, even when she was pulling her punches during training.

Wanda was walking into the lounge after one such session when she ran smack into Sam's back. He shushed her before she could say anything and pointed toward the couch, where Steve and Bucky were sitting against opposite arms, facing each other. Steve shook his head. "I'm not worried."

"Only because you're not listening."

Sam backed up, pushing Wanda into the hall. Without looking at her, he whispered huskily, "Bucky's telling Steve he's hot for Natasha."

Wanda threw an alarmed glance around. "Where is she?"

"Quinjet, helping Chair Force fly some maneuvers in his suit. Dude needs it. Now shh."

Wanda complied and even found herself leaning back into the room to eavesdrop. She felt guilty about it, but since Sam had started it and she wasn't using her powers… She wanted to know how the conversation went more than she disliked feeling guilty, anyhow. Sam grabbed her arm to steady her as she tried to lean closer.

For their part, Steve and Bucky seemed oblivious to their audience. "Buck, it's okay. You think I don't know she's beautiful? Or that she sometimes uses that in the line of duty? I won't say I like it, but if she can get the job done without casualties…"

"I'm not talking about working. I'm talking about…when I was the damn Winter Soldier I was thinking about her in a…a sexual way. And not a good one. I still have that in my head."

"Still, it's only been a week since you've been able to walk normally. Natasha has proven she can protect herself when you lose control and you've been so much better lately. You're not going to hurt her."

"The picture that's usually in my head doesn't involve hurting her, believe me."

"Yeah, well, back home I was guilty of thinking about more than one of your girlfriends…inappropriately." Steve squirmed uncomfortably. "We don't have to talk about it any further than that."

"No, there's a big difference. I mean, I had a crush on Peggy, sure, but I never thought about trying to take her away from you. It's different with Natasha and I don't like it."

"So you've already decided you're not gonna try."

"'Course. But that doesn't change what I'm thinking."

"Then what's the problem?"

"I…I'm supposed to be your friend…"

"You _are_."

Bucky frowned but continued, "And half the time all I can think about is stealing your girl. That's not right."

"What are you thinking about the other half of the time?"

"Huh?"

"You said that half the time you're thinking about stealing my girlfriend. Even if I thought you would try it, I've got enough faith in her to know it would never happen. So I want to know what you're thinking about the rest of the time."

"I dunno. Normal stuff, I guess. Training, what's for dinner, can I keep my alter ego in check, is anything good on TV…"

"All normal."

"Yeah, but, like I said, that's only part of it."

"Hey, before Nat and I got together, I was thinking about her constantly." Steve shook his head with a smile. "I still do. She's not the kind of woman you get out of your head all that easily."

"How are you not pissed at me? I'm sitting here telling you I want to nail your girl. I think about her, uh… well, in ways you wouldn't think were appropriate. You should be pounding my face to a pulp."

Based on what she had seen in the Winter Soldier's memories, Wanda had to agree, even if she also agreed with Steve's unshakable faith in Natasha's fidelity to him. It was possible her Sokovian upbringing had something to do with her attitude regarding tenacious defense of one's territory, but she still thought Steve should punch Bucky any time he looked at Natasha with something approaching interest. In her mind's eye, she could still see the angry red explosive energy surrounding Steve when Bucky had kissed Natasha. He seemed to remember his response on that occasion as well, asking, "Are you trying to make me hit you?"

"Honestly, I'd probably feel a little better if you did."

"Sorry I can't help you out with that, buddy." Steve stood from the couch and immediately directed his gaze toward the door. "Maybe you can find someone else willing to beat on you."

Bucky didn't seem to notice the sudden scuffle by the door as Wanda and Sam tried to get out of sight. "Not her, though."

"No. She's doing her best not to kill you without any added temptation." Steve ran his hand through his hair. "If you think it would help, I could ask her to be less nice to you."

"Nah. I don't want her to think she has your blessing to put me in the ice diaper every few weeks, no matter what I deserve. Maybe tell her to just stab me somewhere non-fatal instead? Or I heard dislocated thumbs are pretty painful."

Both men laughed. Wanda had no idea if this was how normal male bonding was supposed to go, but she suspected it was not. Sam was shaking his head in disbelief beside her, muttering, "Cap's way too nice for his own good."

A third voice whispered back, "That's just _him_."

Wanda felt her face flush as Natasha looked at the pair of them with an irritated smirk before entering the lounge. "Everything okay in here?"

Steve immediately walked over and wrapped an arm around her shoulders as he leaned down to peck her cheek. "Fine. How'd it go with Rhodey?"

"Good." She eyed him for a moment as his embrace lingered, but continued, "The upgrades to the War Machine suit are functioning really well. Are, uh, we doing anything important tomorrow?"

"Nothing springs to mind. Why?"

"I know you're not big on it, but I just got tickets to the Mariinsky Ballet performing _The Sleeping Beauty_ this Saturday, so I thought we could spend the weekend in New York." She glanced at Bucky, who was looking down. "If you think it's a good idea."

"Maritsky? Isn't that the one you were mad you couldn't get tickets for a few months ago?"

" _Mariinsky_. And yes. So…"

"What's the catch?"

"Catch?" Natasha blinked slowly, projecting an air of innocence Wanda would have totally bought if she didn't actually know her.

Steve's arm moved from her shoulders to her waist, but he seemed equally immune to the look. "You complained for over an hour about how it was so unfair that it was totally impossible to get tickets for this ballet, and you just expect me to believe you fell into a pair?"

"Well, I've been keeping an eye on a few websites and…I might have mentioned it to a few people, who may have…look, I told Hill and she mentioned it to Fury and he thought, since everyone already knows about us, maybe we could go on a public date where there might be paparazzi or something and I said that I'd only do it for center orchestra, before the break and Fury…long story short, he got the tickets confirmed today and we're staying at the Ritz-Carlton. All expenses included."

"Uh-huh. Why did you wait to ask me until it was impossible to say no?"

Natasha batted her eyelashes. "You can still say no."

"With you looking at me like that? Hardly." In spite of his hesitation, he was smiling as he dipped his head to kiss her. "Just one condition."

"Name it."

"Tell me Stark won't be there."

"He's actually going to be here, covering for us in case there's a call out."

Wanda felt her eyes drawn to Bucky, who waved to her before saying, "I can just stay in my room for the weekend, if that makes life easier for everyone."

Steve immediately separated from Natasha, moving back toward the couch. "Buck, no one's asking that."

"Yeah, I'm totally up for Bucky-sitting," Sam murmured from beside Wanda. She grinned.

Natasha shot them both another smirk. "You're off that particular hook, Sam. Of course, I don't know how you feel about ballet, so…"

Sam seemed at a loss for words, prompting Wanda to giggle at the unprecedented circumstance.

Natasha continued, "Yeah, turns out Hill is also a ballet fan, so we're double-dating. And the look on your face right now is totally worth ruining the surprise."

"I'm sorry, but do I not look like I'm surprised right now?"

"At least you can practice your happily surprised face for when she tells you. I'm not sure the shocked gaping is going to earn you any points."

He followed Steve and Natasha down to Ops to find Hill a few moments later, leaving Wanda in the lounge with Bucky. He looked to where she was still standing near the door. "I can go if you wanna sit."

"What? No! I mean, that's not necessary." She almost ran to one of the chairs and plopped into it to reinforce her point. She wasn't sure why she felt like she had to reassure him, especially after the conversation he had been having earlier. Although he had said he felt bad about his attraction to Natasha and had no intention of coming between her and Steve… They sat in awkward silence for a minute before Wanda said, "Sam and I…we should not have been listening in. When you and Steve were speaking. Before."

Bucky's eyebrows shot up. "You heard that?"

"No! I mean, I'm sorry. Damn it."

"Forget it. You've seen me act like a jerk with Natasha a couple times. Not like you don't know what I'm thinking, anyway."

"I do _not_ listen to people's thoughts without their permission." She hoped her righteous anger was adequately covering her urge to add, 'Anymore.'

"Oh. Sorry. I just…Steve was tellin' me how your power is sorta like hearing through thin walls and if people are thinking stuff loud enough, you can't help but hear it." He wiggled his metal fingers on the arm of the sofa. "I wasn't trying to accuse you of anything. I just figured I think certain things pretty loud."

"Right. I mean, sometimes I do pick up on things unintentionally. I did not mean to yell at you."

"No big deal. You probably get sick of people assuming you're reading their minds."

She looked at him sympathetically. "Just as you get sick of them assuming you are about to snap."

"True." The quiet that settled was more comfortable this time. He eventually picked up a remote from the table in front of him. "So, I'm still waiting for someone to show me how this Netflix thing works…"


	14. Chapter 14

Wanda opened her eyes and stretched lazily. A glance at the clock told her it was just past nine. This was possibly the first time she'd woken up any later than seven, barring extenuating circumstances or radical time zone changes, since she had moved into Avengers' HQ. The weekend had been uneventful – even Bucky and Stark had gotten along after some initial coolness – and the group in New York had extended their stay to Monday morning. No one was calling her to run long distances outside or practice punching people in the gym. There was no weightlifting or telekinetic practice scheduled. Wanda was unsure of what to do for a moment, but she eventually settled on reaching for the remote of her rarely-used bedroom television as she remained warm under her covers.

The first channel she landed on was a morning news and entertainment program.

"So, for anyone who's been under a rock this weekend, this was the scene on Saturday night at Lincoln Center." A video played, showing Steve clearing a path for himself, Natasha, Sam and Hill through a sea of shouting photographers to the waiting limousine. The host narrated, "You're not imagining things. Yes, that is Captain America leaving the ballet with Black Widow and Falcon. The super night on the town also included dinner at a very exclusive restaurant. This is the first time we've seen the Captain and Black Widow together in public since their smooch after the bombing of the journalism conference several months ago…"

Wanda smiled at video of her friends looking like celebrities mobbed by the press and flipped to a different channel, only to find the same story.

"…the superhero couple and their friends attended a performance of the Mariinsky Ballet, though they didn't have much to say to reporters afterwards…"

This led into a clip of Steve with a microphone nearly shoved into his mouth, saying, "We're just having a night off, enjoying some beautiful dancing." He looked toward an unintelligible shouted question. "Yeah. Er, Zegna. Yeah, thanks."

Somewhat alarmed that she hadn't bothered to watch any news all weekend, Wanda changed the channel again, to a group of excited people sitting around a desk, enthusing over a picture of Natasha.

"…stunning in a gown from Marchesa."

"She really does look like she's on the red carpet at the Oscars."

"Honestly, I just want to find out what kind of workout she's doing to look that good. I mean, is it SoulCycle? CrossFit? How can a person look that good in high end couture _and_ a leather catsuit?"

"Catsuit by Marc Jacobs?"

Wanda turned the channel again as the hosts laughed. A 'hard news' channel came up next, with a balding man ranting.

"…but no one is asking _why_? Why is Captain Rogers, a dyed-in-the-wool American hero, apparently in thrall to a Soviet spy? This isn't just me saying this, it's a fact. In the files that Natasha Romanoff herself, who, by the way, changed her name from the even more Russian-sounding Natalia Romanova, released during the infamous SHIELD disclosure, we learned all about her sordid past as a KGB agent. Who knows if she'd already seduced Captain Rogers at that point, convincing him to compromise our national security to further some scheme that…"

Not for the first time, Wanda wished she could send a small psychic punch through the airwaves, but settled for vehemently pressing the button on her remote. Another morning fluff piece replaced the anger.

"…a press release from Avengers' HQ on Sunday morning noted that Captain Rogers had escorted Agent Romanoff to the ballet, which she has loved since her childhood in Russia. I think we can say that no matter how lovely the dancers, Captain Rogers only had eyes for his date."

"Aren't they just the cutest couple?"

"They really do have a glow about them." Wanda had to agree, even if cameras didn't pick up the very real glow she saw around Steve and Natasha. "I think I speak for women the world over when I say, 'Ugh, so close!' I mean…not that any of us were, but we've gotta have our dreams, right ladies?"

"And something that – I mean, it's tough to remember your own name when Captain America is wearing a tuxedo, but I think it's also worth noting that the Falcon was along with a beautiful date of his own. Some people have been speculating that they were providing security for Captain America and Black Widow, but…" A video of Sam and Hill sharing a brief kiss played. "…I don't think that's a strictly professional relationship. So, sorry ladies, the Captain and Falcon seem to be officially taken. Our best to all our favorite superheroes on this Monday morning. Meanwhile, in the Middle East…"

Wanda changed the channel again, flipping past several more news stories and morning pieces about her friends before finding a program about dogs. She settled back into her pillows, wondering if a puppy would compromise security at HQ.

* * *

It had taken less convincing and even less paperwork than Wanda had expected.

As it stood, Black Widow was already getting far more media coverage than Natasha liked. For someone used to moving in the shadows, there were an alarming number of pictures and video clips circulating of her night on the town with Steve. The trip to the shelter was a good distraction from this latest assault on her anonymity and a canine mascot for the Avengers would likely prove interesting to the general public, turning the attention away from her.

Wanda had gotten directions at the Clydesdale Tavern from Dave the bartender, whose sister was the local rescue coordinator, so she was riding shotgun as Natasha followed a winding road away from the center of town. Steve was sitting in the backseat with a firm grip on the handle over his head. Speed and sharp cuts were apparently the best way to avoid roadside bombs or traps, though Wanda wasn't sure why they were needed in upstate New York. She concentrated on trying to read the few signs they sped past. "Oh, Oak Lane! That's what we want!"

The jeep's tires squealed as Natasha pulled an illegal U-turn, laying a patch of rubber across the country road. They accelerated into the turn. Wanda glanced over her shoulder and grinned at Steve, who was biting his cheeks to prevent himself from complaining about Natasha's driving. He gave her a pained smile. "It's on this road?"

"Should be ahead on the left before the road ends."

"Hopefully not in a cliff," he muttered, though not apparently as quietly as he'd hoped if Natasha's acceleration was any indication. They passed a building with large outdoor enclosures just before an abrupt sandy area that indicated the end of the road. Another skidding turn preceded their arrival in the gravel parking lot.

Wanda hopped from the car to give Steve and Natasha a moment to dispel their raised tension level. A smiling brunette appeared and waved from the doorway. "Hi! Dave told be you folks might be along, but I didn't really believe him!"

Wanda held out her hand. "You must be Nicole."

"That's me! Are you Wanda?" They went through brief introductions as Steve and Natasha came over and Nicole told them about the shelter. "We don't have a huge number of strays here, but we're still overcrowded because we maintain a pipeline from the South – their shelters are really overtaxed. Anyone you'd like to adopt is great, though. When word gets out the Avengers have gotten a rescue dog…wow! So great for all shelter dogs!"

They followed her into the main kennel, a concrete floor lined by chainlink fences on both sides. Wanda looked into the first kennel and felt her heart melt. The shelter staff had done their best, providing a blanket, bed and some toys for a mother dog and her litter of puppies. Nicole noted her interest immediately. "That's our special Lizzy-girl. She gave birth here last week. Came up from Alabama and went into labor almost right after she came off the truck. She won't be available until the pups are weaned, but…"

"This one."

Wanda, Steve and Nicole looked in the direction of Natasha's voice. Against instructions, she had gone into a kennel three-quarters of the way down the row to sit on the floor with a shaggy puppy, which was covering her face and neck in doggy kisses. Wanda scrambled to find her phone so she could record the moment.

Nicole was already enthusing over the dog Natasha had clearly chosen already. "That's Freckles. He was the runt of his litter and he's been here since he was born. It was touch and go for a while because he came down with Parvo, but he's healthy now. We think he's a retriever/Aussie/terrier mix, but who really knows? He's super friendly, four months old…"

Natasha rubbed the furry belly the puppy spontaneously offed up. "Steve, sign whatever they want."

"Nat, there's a bunch of other…"

"Yes, other people who will adopt the other dogs. This one is coming with us."

The process was short, possibly helped along by the fact that Captain America was handling the paperwork while the Black Widow and Scarlet Witch played with the puppy. Natasha was apparently as adept at reading dogs as she was with people. Although he was current on all his shots, Nicole had been kind enough to schedule an appointment with a local vet for a checkup before they left the shelter. Natasha insisted on sitting in the backseat with him while Steve drove back to HQ, as they hadn't expected to bring a dog back after one visit to the shelter and were lacking a harness or carrier, though Natasha had produced a collar and matching leash before they'd gotten outside.

With his floppy ears and speckled muzzle, Freckles was an instant hit. He peed on several spots between the garage and the lounge, but assorted staff had offered to clean up after him. Two techs had nearly gotten into a fight over who would go to the local feed store to pick up some necessities, barely settled by Hill and a base credit card. Still, the hardest test appeared to be ahead of them.

Steve crossed his arms over his chest as he stood and addressed the team. "As you all know, we've gotten a dog to serve as the Avengers' mascot. He needs a good name. I suggest Rover. That's a good name for a dog."

Although Bucky had agreed, Sam immediately scoffed, "In 1941, dude. This adorable beast is gonna be the first thing people think of when they think 'Avengers' from now on. He needs a name that's powerful but approachable."

"I've got it!" Rhodey shouted. "Wag Machine!"

"Why don't we just call him Captain Dog-merica? Sit down, Chair Force."

"Like you've got something better?"

"Uh huh." Sam waited for a moment. "Fluffzilla. No, hear me out. He's gonna be a big dog. Look at his paws! Strength, power, cuteness. Fluffzilla. Bam."

"What about Spot?" Bucky suggested.

"Go take a nap, Grandpa. If y'all don't like Fluffzilla, how about Sergeant Shaggy. Huh? Huh?"

Wanda wondered if any of her Sokovian names would be considered; she liked the idea of an Ataman or Druzhok or Pushok. She held her tongue as the boys continued to debate.

"Max? That's pretty innocuous," Rhodey said.

"I think he would make an excellent Hamlet," Vision interjected. "Look how soulful his eyes are. Come, Hamlet."

The dog didn't look up from his spot on the couch beside Natasha. She scratched his chest and he licked her cheek. "Don't think he's a Shakespeare fan."

"I guess Romeo is out then," Sam said with a sigh. "What about Chew Jackman? Bark Simpson? Woof Blitzer?"

"He could be Ranger," Steve said, "Like an Army Ranger."

"Okay, okay. I like that." Sam reached out to scratch behind the dog's ear. "Not exactly Pararescue, but I like the Army cred. Even Barnes can get behind that, right?"

Bucky nodded. "Ranger is good."

"Why is everybody arguing? He already has a name."

A flurry of protest rose from the assembled Avengers.

Ignoring the protests, Natasha stood calmly and started to walk out of the room. The dog watched her attentively. She turned in the doorway. "Come on, Freckles." He was on her heels as she disappeared around the corner, asking him if he wanted to go for a walk outside.

Rhodey spoke up first, "I still like Wag Machine."

Freckles had a tag engraved with his name the next day; it didn't list a last name, but Wanda noted that the contact number was Natasha's cell.


	15. Chapter 15

Almost overnight, or maybe more like a week or two, Freckles was the most popular Avenger. The PR team had quickly established his Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube accounts, which were gathering followers by the minute. The most adorable footage released of their new shaggy mutt had been his interaction with Vision as the latter had attempted to teach the former to sit on command. Wanda couldn't stop rewatching the two of them sharing a Milkbone when Freckles had eventually succeeded. He wasn't perfectly trained yet, but he had absolutely succeeded in his number one mission – convincing everyone at HQ that he was an amazing mascot.

In Wanda's opinion, Freckles was the perfect addition to the team. He greeted everyone who came into whatever room he was in, showed affection generously and played whenever anyone offered him a ball or Frisbee. The fact that he was a rescue dog from the local shelter had brought even more positive press for the Avengers after the recent media blitz. According to Hill, most of the incoming press requests had been related to him, which suited the rest of the team just fine. Hill had been especially eager to offer the dog for public consumption on the Internet; she hadn't ever been the subject of media scrutiny before appearing in public with Sam. She seemed even more uncomfortable with being in the public eye than Natasha.

For her part, Natasha hadn't shied away from appearing in pictures or videos with Freckles. He slept in her bed every night, a fact Steve had only pretended to bemoan. If anything, people vied competitively for the dog's attention.

It was fortunate that everyone on the team, with the exception of Bucky, had almost immediately bonded with Freckles, resulting in plenty of material for his social media accounts. Although Bucky didn't let on, Wanda could tell it bothered him. She sat down beside him for breakfast after another morning perimeter check on which the team had been joined by the dog. "Good morning."

"Hey." He brushed his hair out of his eyes as he focused on her over a cup of coffee. "I mean, yeah. Good morning."

"Sleep all right?"

"Uh huh. You?"

"Yes." Wanda sipped a cup of tea as he returned to his plate of food. She realized that she could have had this conversation earlier if she hadn't been so focused on tossing a tennis ball Freckles kept bringing back to her during their run. "You have been…not that I think you…"

"It's okay. You're not the only one who's noticed we haven't had a 'Code Winter' since the dog showed up." He scooped scrambled eggs and hashed browns into his mouth. "Not gonna complain about it."

"Yes, but…"

"Don't worry about it. There was a cat that lived in the alley in back of my building in Brooklyn that thought I was the devil incarnate, even though I kept trying to give it tuna. Hope it did okay when I left for Europe." He slurped his coffee. "Probably better if I'm not in contact with Natasha that often."

"I don't think…" Wanda trailed off as she realized she didn't want to lie. "She has been very focused on Freckles."

"Yup. Robo-guy explained it to me."

She found that she was annoyed that she had to make the correction. "Vision."

"Yeah, Vision. I should talk, huh?" He flexed his metal fingers before turning his attention back to his meal. "Anyway, he said that dogs are, like, pack animals that follow the alpha male, so it makes sense that he'd be trying to get in good with Steve." He paused as he took another bite of food. "And Natasha."

"I don't think it is that…"

"See ya." Bucky disappeared before Wanda could turn back after glancing over her shoulder to see that Natasha had entered the galley with Freckles on her heels.

She got a bowl of dog food and requested extra bacon before fixing her coffee and sitting across from Wanda. "Morning."

"Good morning." Wanda scratched Freckles between the ears as he nuzzled her underneath the table, then attacked the bowl Natasha had set down. "You know, if you ever want a night alone…"

Natasha quirked an eyebrow before slipping a piece of bacon beneath the table. "He goes in the bathroom when he realizes we're, um…well, he's very discreet. Then he shows up at our feet sometime during the night."

"Oh. I wasn't saying…I just…"

"Sam, Rhodey and Vision have also volunteered to let him sleep with them." She offered two more pieces of bacon under the table before saying, "I think he's just trying to follow the top dog."

Wanda paused in raising her tea to her lips, remembering her brief conversation with Bucky. "Steve?"

"Yeah. Obviously." Natasha glanced around the room. "He's just hungry, or he'd be waiting until Steve finished his shower."

"Right."

"Freckles respects the chain of command, don't you, boy?" The dog responded with a whine and two paws on Natasha's thigh. She gave him another piece of bacon. "That's right. You're an obedient boy, yes, you are."

Wanda laughed in spite of Natasha's toothless glare. She finished her breakfast quickly and asked, "Would you like me to take him out while you are eating?"

Natasha tuned to see where Freckles was watching Steve enter the room. "Sure. Do you wanna go play with Wanda? Of course you do!"

He paused to greet Steve on the way out of the galley. "Hey, boy. I can't believe you still have energy."

"He is very energetic."

"Well, he naps on and off from breakfast to lunch, then from lunch to dinner, so…" Steve's gaze drifted toward Natasha. "Anyway, why don't you two go out and play?"

"Of course." He had walked away before Wanda remembered to say anything about Bucky to him. A few minutes later, she flicked her wrist and sent a Frisbee flying across the wide lawn in front of HQ. Freckles bounded after it enthusiastically. Although he had yet to master catching the Frisbee in the air, he was good about grabbing it and bringing it back after several tosses to himself on the grass. She praised him as he returned it again and readied himself for another launch.

"He has become very adept in the short time he has lived here."

Her throw went errant as she turned toward Vision, walking across the lawn toward her. "He does learn quickly."

"Had you had pets before?"

"We had a cat growing up." She felt her eyes tear up as she knelt on the ground, thinking about playing with Mushka on the floor of their living room with Pietro while their parents looked on. Mushka had disappeared in the bombing that had killed their parents, either dead or frightened away. Freckles licked her face, as if sensing her distress. "I have not had a pet for a long time."

"I must admit that the experience is…enlightening." When Vison extended his hand, Freckles immediately went to him to be petted. "It is strange how fondness for an inferior species develops so quickly. I would question it, if not for the simple fact that it seems to affect everyone."

"Almost everyone." She tossed the Frisbee again, sending Freckles off in a rush.

He was quiet for a moment as the dog grabbed the toy and shook it with a playful growl. "I assume you are not speaking of yourself, although you were raised as a, hm, cat person?"

"I don't think dogs were allowed in our building. Mushka was very friendly though. She always met us at the door when we returned from school. She would purr and rub against our legs and…" Before she knew what was happening, she found herself supported in Vision's arms as she cried. Freckles circled them, whining with concern. "I am sorry. I do not know what…"

"Memories can be very powerful. Or so I understand." He wasn't emotionally awkward as he stroked her hair gently. "Perhaps you would like to go inside and sit? Would a cup of tea be in order?"

She sniffed hard. "I think it is almost time for us to gather in the gym."

"I am sure we would be excused, especially if we are providing Freckles with companionship."

"I…" Wanda couldn't find a reason to argue. "A cup of tea sounds lovely."

* * *

Wanda rolled under a truck as the building behind her collapsed in a heap of bricks and wooden supports. Ignoring a sudden flash of pain in her left calf, she held a hand over her mouth to keep the worst of the dust out as she tried to remember why she was fleeing explosions in Gdansk. There had been a threat to an international summit on war crimes. It had quickly escalated into a hostage situation, resulting in a request for the Avengers' intervention. The terrorists who had infiltrated the conference had proven better equipped and organized than anyone had suspected. Hence the need to shelter beneath a truck while the world blew up around her.

When the sounds of crashing masonry had dropped to a steady clatter, she opened her eyes and tried to make out what had happened to her leg. The back of her left boot was shredded leather, sticky with blood. It was painful when she reached down to try to determine the extent of the injury, but she was pretty certain nothing was broken. Her comms were not working and no amount of psychic energy could push through the panicked thoughts of people in the surrounding area without doing serious damage. So she needed to find her teammates the old fashioned way while dealing with a painful but not life-threatening injury.

Now fully aware of the situation, Wanda felt calmer. It really did help to focus on the mission; as Natasha had summarized – save hostages, apprehend terrorists, don't die. She took as deep a breath as she could and limped into the street for cover in an undamaged building across the way.

A man in black combat gear suddenly appeared around the corner and raised his assault rifle. Before she could react, he was slammed into a wall. Bucky stood over the crumpled man and kicked his weapon away. She nearly threw him with a burst of energy when she realized he was just taking out a set of the zip ties they had been given to restrain anyone taken alive in the melee. He glanced toward her. "Hell of a first mission."

She nodded as he bound the unconscious man's hands. "It is like a warzone."

"I'd make an argument about Italy in '44 was a warzone if I hadn't read up on Sokovia. No offense, but aren't you used to this kinda thing?"

"Doesn't mean I like it." She frowned and hit two commandos with a burst of energy. There was no time to be annoyed about anyone's interpretation of her homeland at the moment. "Where is everyone?"

"Lookin' for you." He stuck a finger into his ear. "Steve? Yeah, I found her. Her leg's bleeding, but she's walking. Fine. Right." He wiped his finger on his pants, a gesture that would have been disgusting if not for the burst sewer main somewhere close by. "We're meeting in Artushof. Do you have a map of this place?"

Wanda would have yelled at him if not for Vision's sudden appearance from the haze. "Ah, there you are. Unhurt, I hope?"

"Nothing serious."

He nodded curtly at her acknowledgement. "Excellent. Local forces will be 'mopping up,' as they say. This way."

He strode off purposefully. Bucky rolled his eyes before falling into step beside Wanda. "Looks like it would be a nice place under other circumstances."

"Gdansk, also known historically as Danzig, has a very colorful history…"

Bucky interrupted Vision, "Hard to see much color through the smoke."

"Well, as I was saying, it is not the city's first experience with tragedy, unfortunately."

Wanda spared a small smile for Bucky before rushing to catch up with Vision's long strides. "My grandmother lived in the Free City of Danzig before the Second World War. She was just a child when the Soviet Army liberated the city."

"I can interpret from your tone that you are using 'liberated' ironically."

"When the options are Hitler and Stalin…" she trailed off as he raised his hand. "What?"

"Shh," Bucky hissed, also listening intently on comms. "Run."

"What? Why?" Wanda realized her question didn't require an answer as Vison flew in the direction they had been walking and Bucky took off at a sprint. Something was obviously very wrong. Using her powers, she shot into the air and followed the two men.

Vision was already using a ray of energy from the mindstone when she arrived in the strangely clear square behind Bucky. No enemy combatants were visible, but it was possible they had been killed or driven to ground with the combined barrage of Vision, War Machine and Falcon. She flew past an elaborate fountain to where Bucky was now kneeling.

He grabbed Steve's shield from Natasha's arm, allowing her to use both hands to staunch the bleeding from Steve's chest. Wanda automatically spread an energy field around them to protect them. "What happened?"

"Sniper. I should have seen him," Natasha replied, never taking her eyes off Steve.

"Must have been a good shot," Bucky mumbled, still holding up the shield defensively in spite of Wanda's energy field. "I've seen Steve dodge bullets. Actual bullets."

"They weren't aiming at Steve."

"Don't."

In spite of Steve's whispered order, Natasha continued, "He took the shot for me."

To Wanda's surprise, Bucky laughed. "Stupid punk. She's already crazy about you. No need to put on a show."

Steve chuckled, a wet, humorless sound. "Couldn't get my shield up fast enough."

"None of that guilty shit. You gotta be a more careful hero."

Wanda lowered her energy field as Sam landed nearby. "Rhodey found the shooter. Guy's dead. How's Steve?"

"Where's the quinjet?" Natasha asked in response, still pressing both hands against Steve's chest as blood seeped around the soaked gauze.

"ETA is sixty seconds. Me, Rhodey and Vision will hold things down here. You guys clear out."

"I'll be fine once the medics…" Steve's declaration was cut off by a fit of coughing.

"Take you to Landstuhl," Natasha supplied. "Things are calming down here. Sam has it covered."

"Absolutely," Sam agreed.

Steve shook his head weakly. "I'll go, but you stay. Make sure."

The roar of the quinjet above them dispelled any further argument.

Wanda still wasn't sure how she found herself lifting off aboard the quinjet with Steve and Bucky less than a minute later while Natasha remained on the ground in Gdansk. He had pulled rank and ordered her to stay, but there had to have been more to it than that. Wanda wanted to ask him why he had left Natasha in the fight when she'd clearly wanted to be with him.

Bucky suddenly pulled Wanda away as the medics worked on Steve's wound. "Don't worry. She's got his shield."

"What?" She sank into a seat, allowing him to raise her leg to his knee. He began to tug her boot off, causing blinding pain to surge through her body. Her last thought faded was a memory of Steve holding Natasha's leg in a similar position in a quinjet months ago. She was unconscious before she could assign any meaning to the thought.


	16. Chapter 16

Wanda opened her eyes slowly in the infirmary at Avengers' HQ, a situation that had become all too familiar over the past few days. She waited for a moment to absorb the legless feeling she had experienced every time she woke up before looking down to make sure it was still an effect of the painkillers and not a surprise amputation. There were two lumps under the sheet in the exact places her legs were supposed to be. The spinal anesthesia had provided a welcome relief from the pain of her wounded leg, even if she sometimes missed the ability to wiggle her toes.

The shrapnel that had torn up her left calf had proven more damaging than initially diagnosed, requiring multiple debridement sessions as additional specks of brick, metal and glass worked their way to the surface. Dr. Cho had been reluctant to use any of her more advanced healing techniques with so much debris still in the wound. She had repeatedly bemoaned the loss of her 'cradle,' which she thought would be especially beneficial in this situation. In spite of her lengthened healing time, Wanda wasn't about to disagree with the UN's confiscation of that particular piece of equipment and all associated research; Vision may have turned out wonderfully, but it was hard to forget he had started out as a potentially super-powered Ultron.

Wanting a distraction from that disturbing train of thought, she pushed herself up in the hospital bed she'd begun to consider hers after several stays and picked up her tablet from the nearby table. There was nothing really new on the situation in Gdansk. She skimmed a story that summarized the details released to the public thus far: a mercenary force hired by Glazistani dictator Andrei Nuchenko, about to be indicted on charges of crimes against humanity in The Hague, had unsuccessfully attacked the international conference on war crimes and turned the failure into a short siege of the city. UN Peacekeepers, with the assistance of the Avengers and local forces, had quelled the uprising and arrested the remaining mercenaries while Allied forces had captured Nuchenko and his inner circle at the presidential palace in Vitrum, the capital of Glazistan.

Wanda flicked past pictures of the damage in Gdansk and celebrating Glazistanis in the streets of Vitrum until she found what she had been looking for. A particularly adventurous AP photographer had ventured from the UN conference and captured several shots of the Avengers, including Vision and Rhodey rescuing a small child from a ruined building, Sam handing a prisoner over to Polish police and Natasha standing on a pile of rubble with a pistol in one hand and Captain America's shield in the other.

The last picture had proven very interesting to the tabloids and gossip shows, as a tap demonstrated a long list of related headlines. She was about to click on a particularly salacious one when she heard the curtain to her right being pulled back.

"Good morning."

"Good morning, Steve." She tried to look merely amused as she held up her tablet to display the picture she had been viewing. "You and Natasha are in the news again."

"Yeah. No one told me that shields are the new engagement rings."

From the way he smiled, Wanda had the feeling that he and Natasha had already discussed the media's interpretation of her carrying his shield in the aftermath of the attack. "You could always give her both."

"Nat and I have talked about it and…"

"What have we talked about?"

Wanda turned toward the door, but the sound of nails clicking against the tile distracted her. Freckles was already trying to jump up on Steve's hospital bed. He briefly backed off with a startled growl as Steve lowered the bed, but was in his lap a moment later. "Hey, boy. Yeah, you're a good boy. I'm happy to see you, too."

"Like he didn't see you last night," Natasha muttered with a smile. She leaned in to kiss Steve between Freckles' repeated licks. "Why don't you go say hi to Wanda?"

Freckles hesitated for a moment, but soon turned in the direction both Steve and Natasha were pointing. Wanda had to lower her own bed to allow him to jump up. As she stroked the dog's soft fur, she noted that Natasha had taken up the free space in Steve's bed. "So, is Dr. Cho letting you out today?"

"Hope so. I'm still a little sore, but I don't see why I need to stay in the infirmary."

"She probably doesn't trust you to keep your activity to a minimum while you heal."

"She's obviously not keeping an eye on Freckles' social media."

Wanda had to grin as she scratched behind the dog's ears. To counter early reports from their visit to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center that Captain America had been mortally wounded, Hill had arranged to have Steve photographed meeting Freckles just off the quinjet at HQ. Steve had muscled through the quick photo-op with his arm in a sling, allowing a press release saying he had been hit in the arm by a stray bullet. In reality, he had taken a through-and-though to the right side of his chest, resulting in a collapsed lung. He was recovering quickly, thanks to his serum, but he had still been confined to the infirmary for the better part of a week. If his dreams were any indication, he was desperate to get back to his normal sleeping arrangements.

Natasha seemed equally eager, whispering, "Think we can encourage her a little?"

"Mmm, Nat…"

Wanda let them go on for a few moments before clearing her throat. "I'm still here."

"Sorry, Gummi Bear." Natasha smoothly slipped out of Steve's bed and walked over to join the doggy love-fest. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course."

To Wanda's surprise, Natasha leaned in and whispered, "Do you have thing for Bucky or for Vision?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I understand the appeal of the bad boy," Natasha continued confidentially, "but I have to say you're probably better off with the nice guy in the long run. Granted the nice guy doesn't have some essential parts, but they make very realistic strap-ons these days…"

"I am not…" Wanda caught herself from lying just in time. She had been mulling over the question of Vision or Bucky since she had been injured and gotten nowhere. "Why do you think I am interested in either of them?"

She got a sarcastically raised eyebrow. "Look, I'm not great with relationship advice, but…" The conversation was cut off as Dr. Cho entered the room. "Morning, Helen!"

"Natasha," Dr. Cho replied cautiously. There had been a pretty impressive argument when she had refused to discharge Steve the previous day after hearing some suspicious sounds in his breathing. "I believe I've mentioned my displeasure with a dog in the infirmary?"

"Freckles is up to date on all his shots and flea treatments and everything. I gave him his last heartworm pill myself."

"Yes, well, forgive me if I prefer a hygienic environment." Dr. Cho walked toward Steve. "If we could address your number one concern?"

"Of course." Natasha immediately moved to Steve's bed, followed by Freckles, who sat at her side. "You're letting him out today, right?"

Dr. Cho had Steve sit up so she could listen to his lungs. After a long minute, she removed her stethoscope. "Provided he agrees to eliminate his workouts until our orthopedist and I declare him fit, I see no reason to keep him in the infirmary."

"Great!" Steve exclaimed, jumping out of bed and provoking Freckles into ecstatic leaps around him. He was moving somewhat stiffly and minimizing the action of his right arm, but seemed fine otherwise. His hospital johnnie did nothing to hide his… Wanda blushed and turned back to her tablet and the gallery of Steve and Natasha's previous public foray. Her earlier psychic misadventures had provided her with plenty of visuals of Steve's rear assets. Still…

She had no idea why digital cameras on tablets had to include a shutter sound. She just felt lucky that Natasha smirked rather than ordering her to immediately delete the picture she'd taken.

* * *

Wanda flexed her foot to its maximum current range and sighed. She had been able to walk for the past few days, but she was far from fully recovered. At least she had finally been released from the infirmary – her leg was currently propped up on a pillow on a couch in the lounge, the cane she didn't particularly like using within easy reach. It seemed silly to have to limp around when she could just float, but she couldn't rebuild muscular strength if she didn't use her leg. She had compromised by walking until it became too uncomfortable; telekinesis had some unexpected benefits, alongside all the obvious ones.

Bucky suddenly plopped down beside her foot. "How's tricks?"

"All right, I guess." It really was a guess. She wasn't entirely sure what the expression meant, but she assumed it was outdated slang. "How are you?"

"Can't complain. 'Course, I wasn't in the hospital. How long until you can go back out?"

"No idea. It will be several weeks, at the very least."

"Too bad. With fewer pretty girls to distract them, someone's gonna notice me and slap my picture all over the news."

"I thought there was an announcement that you had joined the team."

"I think it got lost in the shuffle with you and Steve getting hurt, then Natasha with the shield. Honestly, it's better. I'm used to flying under the radar."

She cocked her head as she looked at him carefully. Was he actually jealous of the attention? Or hurt because no one had noticed him working with the good guys? Giving him the benefit of the doubt, she decided on the latter and said, "I thought you did very well on the mission. You saved me."

"Well, I found you. I didn't exactly save you. Besides, Vision was there a few seconds after me so…" He had a slight flush in his cheeks. "When's this demonstration getting started?"

"Mr. Stark has just indicated that we should turn on the television." Vision carefully set a full bowl on the table beside Wanda. "He also suggested popcorn. I took the liberty of bringing Coca-Cola as well."

"Thank you," Wanda replied, accepting a soda can with a smile. He nodded and moved to the chair beside the sofa.

"Yeah, thanks." Bucky snatched the other can off the table and opened it with a hissing pop. "I miss the old glass bottles. It just doesn't taste the same coming in a tin can."

"Aluminum," Vision corrected, finding the appropriate channel, which was currently a static view from the roof of the building. "I believe glass bottles are still available."

"Good to know." Bucky grabbed a handful of popcorn and flicked a few pieces into his mouth. "If they don't hurry up the sun's gonna set."

Tony Stark's voice suddenly came from the TV, "We can hear you guys."

"Then let's see what your tiny airplane can do!"

"For the last time, it's a remote-controlled drone," Stark replied in exasperation. "Did they by any chance substitute a metal brain too when they did your arm?"

Wanda felt herself tense as Bucky's face went blank for a moment, but it passed quickly. He gave a forced laugh instead. "Jealous your suit isn't a part of you?"

"Hey do you ever worry you're gonna crush your dick when you take piss left-handed?"

"Least I got somethin' I don't need tweezers to handle."

Rhodey interrupted the rapidly escalating argument, "Knock it off. I think we're ready to launch."

"Hell yeah!" Sam sounded almost giddy. The drone had been designed to fit into his wingpack as an additional surveillance tool that wouldn't attract the attention of one of the Avengers flying overhead. He had already named it Redwing, in spite of Stark's insistence that it was the Iron Bird. The three men had been on the roof of HQ all day getting ready its maiden flight.

Wanda glanced around the lounge and realized they were missing a few teammates. "Are Natasha and Steve upstairs?"

"Nah. They took the dog for a walk," Bucky answered around a mouthful of popcorn. "They can see it once it crashes on the lawn right after takeoff."

Stark muttered, just loud enough to be heard, "How do you guys stand that jerk-off?"

Any response was overshadowed by a sudden rush of movement on the screen. Sam whooped. "And Redwing has left the nest!"

"Don't get crazy with it the first time out. Just go slow and get used to the controls."

Sam ignored Stark's instructions, though the inventor was excitedly watching the footage and commenting on flying-related metrics with Rhodey. Redwing climbed quickly before turning to dive toward the ground, then executing a series of sharp turns as it approached the woods. Sam slowed it down to navigate the trees, whipping off leaves and small branches as he went.

"Hey, watch it, Birdie. That's a precision piece of equipment," Stark admonished.

"If he can't handle some little twigs, how good is it gonna be when people are shooting at him?" Sam replied, accelerating as he came to a clearing near the small brook that ran through the compound.

A flash of red near the shore caught Wanda's eye. "Sam, what was that? By the water?"

"Let's take a look-see." Redwing's slowed to a stop and hovered into position. The camera automatically focused on Steve and Natasha, tossing a tennis ball for Freckles. "Aw, does this thing record?"

"It's been recording the whole time," Stark replied with a tinge of annoyance.

"I just meant Freckles could post this on his Facebook or something. Let me get in closer."

"The microphone should be good to around five hundred feet."

"Why are you whispering, Tony?" Rhodey asked, also in a whisper.

"I don't know. We're spying on Natalie the super spider. It just seems appropriate."

"Shh," Sam hissed. "The mic's picking them up."

Wanda frowned as Bucky turned up the volume with the remote. Steve held the ball over his head as Freckles jumped around him, then tossed the ball unusually far. As the dog bounded away, he wrapped and arm around Natasha's waist and pulled her in for a kiss. There was a chorus of 'oohs' and 'Way to go Cap!' from the guys on the roof and Bucky. Wanda wanted to turn away, but found her eyes glued to the screen.

Steve grinned as he and Natasha separated. She was smiling too as she said, "You didn't have to send the dog on a 5k just to kiss me."

"Yeah, but I have other plans."

"Freckles isn't going to be gone _that_ long."

"That's later. Besides, the only reason I wanted him gone for a minute was so he wasn't jumping all over me while I'm kneeling."

"Steve…"

"Sam, turn it off!" Wanda shouted, suddenly realizing what the team was intruding on.

"Why…?" Sam gasped and the picture jerked, but he soon had it steadily focused on Steve on one knee in front of Natasha. "Holy…!"

"Shhh!" seemed to come from everyone simultaneously.

Steve was completely oblivious to anyone but Natasha. "I hope this is better than a shield. I've had it for a couple months and I just…I should have asked sooner because…I love you and I want to be with you for the rest of my life. Marry me, Natasha."

Natasha was speechless, but managed to nod and hold out her left hand so Steve could slip the ring on her finger. He jumped to his feet and picked her up swinging her around with a laugh of pure joy. They were kissing a moment later, not even stopping when Freckles reappeared with his ball.

His demands for attention eventually got their notice and Steve gave the ball another long throw. While keeping her arms around his neck, Natasha was looking at her hand, where the sparkling diamond was visible even on the camera. Wanda was sure the light outside would be brighter than anything she had seen thus far if she looked out a window right now.

Steve dipped his head for another kiss, slow and passionate. Natasha pulled back first. "I can't believe you arranged this whole thing."

"Um…yeah." He nodded, looking slightly confused.

"I mean, waiting for sunset to launch the drone so it could record the moment? So sneaky. Guess I've rubbed off on you even more than I thought." She turned and looked directly at the camera. She waved, then held up her left hand and pointed to the ring. "I'm not even mad you're all watching!"

Steve still looked slightly bewildered, but the image tipped forward and back, which could only mean Sam was having the drone take a bow. He wisely turned and piloted it back toward the roof. Everyone was quiet until Redwing landed and the video feed dissolved into blackness.

Vision was the first to stand. "I believe we should greet the happy couple and offer congratulations." He held out his hand. "Wanda, would you like some assistance?"

As she limped out of the room on Vision's arm, she heard Bucky mutter, "I coulda done that."

She didn't recall that both she and Vision could have flown until they were outside on the lawn, hugging Steve and Natasha. Wanda did most of the hugging until the rest of the guys showed up, followed closely by Hill. She had been absolutely right about the intensity of the light. Freckles just seemed happy that everyone was outside and happy.


	17. Chapter 17

Wanda was enjoying a perimeter check for the first time. She was finally able to run on her left leg without pain, an impressive accomplishment in just the two months since her injury. Dr. Cho's diligent attention and treatments had, once again, created medical miracles. Wanda's heart leaped over the brook along with her body, not a thought of using her powers to assist her entering her head. It felt amazing to exert herself after so much downtime.

The team had been called out on several missions while she'd been laid up. She had spent each of them in Ops, biting her nails as Hill had conducted a symphony of logistics organization, from the quinjet down to Band-Aids. Lucky, not many of the latter had been needed over the course of the weeks missing a teammate. She was more disappointed in herself than anything regarding her inability to join them in the field.

And maybe only a little jealous that they were functioning so well without her.

For their part, the media had finally taken notice of Bucky. Although he had agreed to a press release referring to him as the Winter Soldier, he had been dubbed Silver Arm by some anchor and the name had caught on quickly. Interest in Silver Arm had been less devoted than the attention lavished on Freckles, but the media was happy to have a new Avenger to profile. The sparsely available information on Bucky's past had been glossed over by all but the most rabid conspiracy-promoting websites.

Steve and Natasha's engagement had not yet been officially announced, leaving more time for other stories. They were likely to steal the spotlight even from Freckles when _that_ became public knowledge. It was unlikely Freckles would noticed, provided he continued to receive his customary level of adoration at HQ.

At the moment, he was bouncing along the trail with the team, snapping his jaws at raindrops and generally being his adorable self. Wanda stopped just behind Natasha and took a moment to stretch as the team assembled for a few sets of squat thrusts in a clearing.

Natasha looked at her with an indulgent smile. "Take it easy, Gummi Bear. You're gonna be Jell-O when we're done and we haven't even had breakfast yet."

"I have not been able to run so well in weeks!" She did a few jumping jacks to work off some of her enthusiasm. "This is so much better than the treadmill!"

"Don't get so excited. Steve will think you like this early morning torture."

Wanda felt confident enough to reply, "You don't engage in early morning cardiovascular activity with Steve?"

"Yeah, but it's not torturous." Natasha stroked his chin as he walked past them after checking on Rhodey, who had arrived last, to make sure everything was okay. "Unless I'm feeling cruel."

Bucky groaned nearby. "When you talk like that you're torturing the rest of us, y'know."

"And I don't even feel guilty about it," Natasha replied as she dropped into her first squat thrust. "In fact, I'm fucking thrilled."

"Emphasis on fucking."

"I'll get a really small ruler for you if you want to have a measuring contest."

Bucky mumbled something unintelligible as they continued to squat and thrust. Wanda was starting to tire, but she refused to give in to her body's limitations. She kicked her legs back and brought them forward with a purpose before springing up. Steve called out the rep with each completed movement. She was just about to surrender when he indicated a quick hydration break.

She fell into step with him at the front of the pack when they finished and began running again. "You and Natasha have not set a date yet, right?"

"Nope. We were thinking next year. Lila is probably even more eager, if that's possible. Laura said she was on the world's loopiest emotional rollercoaster when Nat told her she was too old to be a flower girl and she'd have to be a bridesmaid instead."

Wanda smiled as she jumped over a thick tree root. "I suppose Clint was surprised?"

"He would have been if I hadn't called him to ask his permission before I proposed." Steve suddenly reddened from reasons not related to exertion. "I mean, he's the…he's like her big brother, so I thought it was only right to…I'm kind of old fashioned, in case you hadn't noticed."

"I think it is sweet."

"He and Laura offered to host the ceremony at the farm." He looked over his shoulder briefly. "I think we might take them up on it."

"We are all very happy for you," Wanda confirmed. "For both of you." After a few more paces she added, "Even Director Fury seems pleased."

"I probably should have asked him, too, but I figured he already had security footage of me buying the ring so…it was hard enough talking to Clint over the phone." They ran in silence for a few moments before he said, "Fury's okay with it. I think."

"Does it really matter? I mean, who likes it and who is against it? The two of you are happy."

Steve grinned at her as he pulled up at the next clearing for push-ups. "You're getting pretty good at people, Maximoff."

"I do my best." She dove into the mud to emphasize her eagerness. His position beside her allowed her to continue, "I'm glad you will be having a wedding ceremony."

"Of course. Small, but with all our friends in attendance. We've got to have witnesses for the best day of our lives."

"It will be wonderful," she affirmed. "In the meantime, I can't wait to get back to, um, saving the world."

Steve gave her a lopsided grin. "That is what we do."

"Between falling in love, yes?"

"Hey, it can't all be super-heroics."

She glanced over her shoulder, at the group running behind them. "Very true."

* * *

Wanda's first mission back turned into a shit show rather quickly. The Hydra base in the Peruvian highlands had proven much better defended than intelligence had estimated. An extensive firefight had pinned the terrorists inside their bunker, but left the assault force of Avengers woefully unprotected. Extraction had failed when their quinjet had been hit by several RPGs, taking out its landing gear and weapons systems, among other things. Rhodey and Vision were escorting the disabled craft to safety while the remainder of the team ensured that the Hydra thugs still shooting were trapped underground for at least good day or two – long enough to ensure the airstrike to take out the base had been carried out, at any rate.

Unfortunately, the resources tasked to retrieve the team had to be diverted to carry out that airstrike, leaving them to find their own way for a minimum of thirty-six hours. Wanda wasn't sure what kind of safe house Natasha could possibly have in this area, in spite of the fact that she had confidently commed HQ that they would be fine while Steve had hotwired a beat-up pickup truck over an hour ago.

Wanda mostly just wanted to sleep in a comfortable bed, rather than the cab of a smelly stolen truck that desperately needed new shocks. The altitude wasn't helping things. Now that the adrenaline of battle had ebbed, she wondered if an oxygen tank would be asking too much. She glanced over and asked, "How much longer?"

"Not sure." Natasha kept her eyes on the pale illumination of the headlights, cruising along the bumpy road snaking through the unforested mountains. It was more forgiving than the dirt track they had been on before, but just barely. She knocked on the window over her shoulder. "Is somebody watching the GPS? Because I'm navigating by the stars, in case any of you boys were wondering."

"Ugh," Sam replied, summing up everything Wanda felt at the moment. Of course, he had had an especially hard landing after a hit to one of his wings. He didn't appear to have any broken bones, but plenty of nasty bruises.

Steve, as usual, was more on the ball, passing a small tablet through the window. "I think it's about another hour or so. I think. Where, exactly, are we going?"

"A wretched hive of scum and villainy."

Wanda didn't have the energy to determine why the description seemed familiar, but, to her surprise, Bucky asked, "We're goin' to Mos Eisley?"

Natasha grinned. "Close. Juliaca."

Steve's head suddenly came through the window. "Juliaca was on the map, but where's Mos Eisley?"

Sam groaned from his position lying in the truck bed. "We get beat down and we gotta watch _Star Wars_ again? I mean, I like the original, but this shit is getting ridiculous."

"Oh, I remember that one. So we won't be finding the droids we're looking for in this place?"

Natasha rubbed his head affectionately before pushing it back through the window. "Settle in. We'll be there soon enough." They rode in silence for a few minutes before she asked, "You okay, Wanda?"

"Fine. I was not hurt during the battle."

"Maybe, but being 13,000 feet above sea level doesn't seem to agree with you." Wanda accepted the canteen shoved into her hands and took a long drink. Natasha continued, "I've got few tanks of O2 at the safe house, so you should be fine."

Wanda nodded. Her confidence had ebbed once they had arrived in the city, passing between repeated blocks of cinderblock and concrete structures. They finally came to a stop in a nondescript alley between two identical buildings. After turning off the engine, Natasha immediately slithered out of the drivers' side window. Hearing her boots on the roof of the cab, Wanda had to stick her head out her own window to find out what was happening.

Natasha deftly grasped a drainpipe and shimmied her way up to a second-floor window. A hidden panel appeared in the wall after a series of taps. A code later, she was slipping through the suddenly opened window. She poked her head out a moment later. "You can sleep in the truck, but it'll probably be stolen by morning."

Wanda gathered enough strength to help Sam through the window with a brief use of her powers. She glanced around the room after settling him on a dull red couch. The interior was scarcely more inviting than the outside, but she was in no position to complain. Natasha was already digging bottled water out of a cupboard as Steve and Bucky made their way inside. "Everybody stay hydrated, but don't drink from the tap. I'll be right back."

She disappeared through a dark doorway, footsteps receding down what sounded like a stairwell. Steve looked around after drinking a bottle of water in a series of big gulps. "Uh, I guess…Sam, I doubt we can fix your wingpack here."

"I'm cured of flying for at least a week. Just tell me Redwing isn't hurt."

"Um…" Steve looked at the pack he was holding with a mixture of confusion and annoyance. "Er…"

Sam held up his arm with an effort and tapped his gauntlet. "He's cool. Okay."

"Oxygen!" Natasha called, reappearing with a large SCUBA-like tank that Steve immediately moved to lift from her arms. "I've got two masks, so, Sam, Wanda…you're up."

After a few minutes, Wanda felt like a new person. She left Sam to enjoy the benefits of actual breathable air as she left to explore the hallways where the rest of the team had disappeared some time before. Ignoring the sound of running water, she ascended a set of stairs. She emerged in a hall consisting of four closed doors. She knocked on the one where she heard voices without a second thought and opened the door.

Steve and Natasha were lying in a double bed, still wearing their uniforms. In Wanda's somewhat clouded mind, clothing negated the intimacy of their embrace. "I feel better."

"Good," Natasha replied, getting up and walking toward her. "Do you feel like taking a shower?"

"Sure."

Gentle hands guided her into a bathroom and helped her undress. "I'll bring you some clean clothes and towels."

Wanda barely remembered not to open her mouth to swallow some of the warm water that was washing over her body. She heard the door open and close again, but didn't feel the need to acknowledge the interruption. She dressed in the slightly too large clothing (t-shirt, hoodie and jeans, all likely Natasha's) and made her way back to the common room, dirty leather jacket and boots in her arms.

Sam was still breathing comfortably with his oxygen mask. Bucky sat on the couch beside him, looking damp and uncomfortable with the silence and his somewhat small shirt and sweatpants. Wanda grabbed the other mask and sat beside him. After a moment of oxygen saturation, she rolled her head toward Bucky. "Whose clothes are those?"

"No idea. Barton's, if I had to guess."

Sam nodded knowingly. "You think she's got places like this everywhere? Like, if we were in the middle of the Amazon, would Nat just nod and tell us we were an hour from her special treehouse?"

"Not at all. We'd have to get to Manaus. Or San Carlos if we were closer to Venezuela." Natasha pulled the oxygen mask from Sam's face. "Come on. A shower will help."

"Give him bigger clothes!" Bucky shouted as they disappeared up the stairs.

Wanda felt slightly giddy beside him on the sofa, alone. She decided it was an effect of the oxygen, taking another deep breath. She felt her head drop on his shoulder. "Hey."

"Um, hi." There was a long pause while she breathed noisily before he asked, "Are you feeling okay?"

"The altitude." Wanda felt a shiver run through her body. "It's not agreeing with me."

"Sure. I guess those pills we took don't help everyone."

She snuggled closer to him, even though she was on his left. Normally his metal arm served as a barrier, but tonight she felt like getting as close as she possibly could. She tried out the only pickup line currently buzzing in her head, "You want some air?"

"I'm good."

"Whatever you say." She felt a few more shudders of pleasure run through her body before she understood what was happening. "Shit!"

Bucky was standing in a flash. "What? What's wrong?"

"They're…." Her body responded involuntarily as Steve entered Natasha, abruptly explaining all the shivers she'd felt in the past few minutes. "Oh, God! I have to…Oooh…"

"Wanda?"

"Out." She fought against the pleasure taking place in the room just overhead. "I have to…oh! Get out."

He looked at her skeptically. "This didn't really strike me as a walking around kinda city."

"I don't…mmmm! I need to…go!" She used her powers as she propelled herself through the window with the feeling of Steve's powerful yet gentle thrust, landing in the bed of the pickup. She was hopping down into the alley just as Bucky's weight caused the truck to shift.

He had caught up to her quick strides as she reached the street. "Um…"

"I just need distance." Wanda focused on catching her breath in the thin air as they walked.

They emerged from their side street onto a main avenue, busy despite the late hour, when Bucky asked, "Do you speak Spanish?"

Wanda looked over her shoulder at a few boys feigning toughness. "No. You?"

"I can probably look pissed enough to deter any unwanted attention."

"Do that." She grasped his arm and the boys following them seemed to dissolve into the darkness.

They walked another block before he asked, "Do you think the whole city smells like piss?"

She had to laugh. "I assumed we were just in a bad neighborhood."

"I was paying attention when we drove in. The whole place is a bad neighborhood." They walked another block. "What was going on with you before we left?"

"Nothing," she replied to quickly, feeling a flush rise in her cheeks in spite of the cold night.

"Sure."

She took a few more steps, inhaling the heady aroma of garbage and urine, before admitting, "Steve and Natasha were making love in the room above us."

"So?"

"I feel like we have already been over the idea of 'thin walls' for someone with psychic abilities."

They had reached the next intersection before he paused with something other than pedestrian self-awareness. "Whoa. You mean you could _feel_ them?"

"Yes."

"And you still wanted to leave?"

A charge of guilt rushed through her, reminding her of her earlier exploits invading Steve and Natasha's privacy. "It isn't right. I can't be a part of their…" She waved her hands in the air to indicate the relationship. "Besides, Natasha knows. I don't know how, but she knows. Even if I didn't…" She paused as she remembered a time when she _didn't_ , but quickly recovered. "I won't intrude on them if I can help it."

"Sorry. I didn't mean to…it's just been a while for me." They continued walking in silence for a few moments, past some people reclining on a stoop and a convenience store, before he continued, "I'm not trying to horn in on Natasha. Not anymore. I mean, she's hot. I got a pulse, don't I?" He laughed nervously. "I just mean…I'm not jealous because Steve is with Natasha, specifically. I just want what they have, y'know? You look at them and they're just so…"

"In love," Wanda supplied. She wondered if that was what she had really been seeking those months ago when she had been willing to steal some of their passion for herself.

"Love. Yeah." Bucky scuffled his boots in the dirt at their feet. "That little punk has all the luck."

"What do you mean?"

He looked somewhat abashed as they turned and walked back the way they had come. "Uh, back home in Brooklyn, in the '40s, I was, uh, something of a ladies' man. Love 'em and leave 'em. Steve, though…you could see it with him and Peggy. It was something special. And now, him and Natasha…don't get me wrong, I always enjoy some friendly attention, but seeing those two…" They were quiet until they came to the corner where they needed to turn. He glanced at her. "Should be okay by now, right?"

"Sure." She didn't think it was the appropriate time to comment on Steve and Natasha's endurance, though she did feel slightly breathless as they jumped up on the cab of the truck and boosted themselves through the window.

Sam was sitting on the couch, oxygen mask over his face, looking slightly shell-shocked. Wanda reached out to squeeze his shoulder. "Sam, are you all right?"

"Huh? Oh, sure." The dazed look never left his eyes. "I heard someone moan and I thought it was pain, but it turns out that's just what they sound like when they're trying to be quiet."

"Steve and Natasha?" she inquired, sinking into the seat beside him and seizing the other mask.

He nodded. "She was on top and I just…stood there. Watching. Maria is gonna _kill_ me."

Bucky was nodding in approval when Wanda shot him a reproving look. He immediately dove toward the kitchen. "Hey, who wants water?"


	18. Chapter 18

The usual Sunday girls' night out had turned into girls' afternoon in. After relentless requests from every news organization in existence, Steve had reluctantly agreed, via Hill and Fury's intervention, to an interview with _60 Minutes_. When Stark had found out the interview was shooting on a Saturday, he had insisted on hosting the male Avengers overnight at the Tower, to be followed the next day by a Giants' game in a private box at MetLife Stadium.

Wanda had watched the 1pm game in the lounge with Maria, Natasha and Helen, playing a game that involved drinking every time the network broke to a shot of the Avengers, which had become a regular thing after their presence was noted during the second quarter. Vision wearing a blue Giants' jersey over a collared shirt and khakis as he watched the field with polite interest had been a source of great amusement for the announcers. Sam, Rhodey and Stark had been excited about the game, while Bucky had lurked in the background, barely showing his face. Steve stubbornly wore his old Brooklyn Dodgers cap and pretended to watch something other than his phone ; Natasha had been sending him text messages to see how much they could make him blush while unaware he was on the air. The network had shown the Avengers more often than one would have thought, if Wanda's current state of inebriation was any indication.

She tried to sit up a little straighter in her chair and realized she must have dozed off. The Giants' game was apparently over. Helen was snoring softly, mouth agape, on the couch across from her, Freckles draped over her legs. Maria and Natasha were sitting on the couch facing the TV, flanking a largely empty bowl of popcorn. Natasha, of course, barely seemed like she'd been drinking, although she _was_ currently debating with no one which quarterback (or 'throwing guy') had the more punchable face while Maria stared intently at the television. Wanda vaguely remembered her saying she was looking forward to the Chicago Bears' game. She tended to agree with Natasha's opinion that American football was nonsensical and arbitrary, but Maria looked totally enthralled. Wanda could only assume it was a cultural thing; she still personally followed Pietro's favorite _real_ football team, CSKA Moscow. She closed her eyes again, remembering him practicing free kicks and Cruyff turns on the pitch.

She opened her eyes an indeterminate amount of time later. Helen was no longer present, Freckles stretched across the couch by himself. Without turning her head, Wanda glanced at the TV. The Bears appeared to be crushing their opponent, although she wasn't entirely clear on the scoring. Twenty-seven to six seemed like a good lead. She rolled her head, blinking to restore focus after the blurring the movement had caused.

Maria was far more relaxed than she had been earlier. She and Natasha were now sitting side by side on the sofa, feet propped up on the coffee table. "…but if you just talk to him…"

"I've _tried_ ," Natasha replied with a huff. "He runs in the other direction whenever he sees me coming."

"What about Steve?"

"He thinks this is a you and Sam thing and doesn't want to get involved."

"Even though your glorious ass is at the center of the controversy?"

"Aw, Maria. I never knew you'd noticed."

"That was a direct quote from Sam. I don't think he feels guilty about walking in on you and Steve as much as he feels guilty that he liked what he saw. And the fact that he told _me_ he saw Steve," she crooked her fingers to indicate a quotation, "'clutching two glorious handfuls of ass.' Honestly, to hear him tell it, he stood there for a while so you guys could put on a show, which I know can't be true because he hasn't been decapitated."

"It really was over in a second. I hadn't even gotten my head around when he was slamming the door and yelling about how sorry he was for interrupting."

"Hmmm." Maria bent forward to grab a vodka bottle from the coffee table and took a long pull before passing it on. "I know SHIELD had some kind of rules about unrelated sex during missions…"

"…but we're not SHIELD anymore," Natasha concluded. She took a swallow from the bottle. "Fury never asked me to do that, anyway. Not once."

"Don't tell him I told you, but he made it an unofficial policy that he was never going to send you out with that expectation. I think he wanted to prove to you that you made the right choice, coming to SHIELD."

"Huh. And I thought I was the one proving myself to him." There was a long pause, during which Wanda almost dozed off again, before Natasha asked, "Did you ever think we'd be here?"

"On the couch?"

"Well…indirectly, I guess. I just meant…y'know…being friends?"

Maria chuckled. "I have to admit, I didn't see it coming. Of course, considering the first thing I ever said to Sam was, 'Who the hell is this guy?,' I'm probably not up for any clairvoyance awards."

"I don't remember that at all."

"You'd lost a fair amount of blood at the time."

"No, I remember you saving us, I just don't remember you and Sam meeting. Weird."

"Well, like I said, you'd taken a bullet to the shoulder."

"Uh-huh." Natasha caught Wanda's attention with her next comment, "Hard to believe Bucky is on our side after all that."

"I still can't believe _you're_ one of the good guys sometimes, never mind him." Maria immediately amended, "Not that I'd change anything, just that…I mean, I remember when Barton brought you in and pretty much everybody thought Fury had suffered a head injury when he agreed to keep you on, but…this isn't coming out right…"

Natasha gave her a light swat on the thigh to stop her rambling, passing the vodka back. "I'm glad we're friends now, too."

"Good."

Wanda felt somewhat intrusive listening to the drunken conversation, but she currently lacked the will to rise from her chair. She blinked several times before asking, "What happened to Helen?"

"We put her to bed at halftime," Maria replied. "We thought about dragging you off, too, but the third quarter started and it was still close, so…"

"We decided to let you sleep so Maria wouldn't miss any of her precious Bears slapping each other's asses."

"Soccer players hug after a goal."

"I'm not even going to dignify that with a response." Natasha tipped the vodka bottle to her lips. "How much longer before Steve makes me feel better about watching TV all day?"

"Watching TV and drinking?"

"Why would I feel guilty about drinking?"

Maria rolled her eyes before squinting at the television. "Two-minute warning. If you have to pee, you should be back within the next ten minutes, not that clock-management matters at this point. Bears win!"

"And I used to think you were so smart."

"I'll pretend that was a compliment."

Natasha suddenly sang out, "Ave Maria!"

"Ridiculous."

They were still giggling several minutes later when _60 Minutes_ came on, promising an extensive interview with Captain America, following election coverage. A brief preview showed Steve smiling in a suit provided by Tony Stark's personal tailor and a silk shirt and tie direct from Italy. He looked like was threatening to sweat through all of them as he sat under the Klieg lights. "I'm just a kid from Brooklyn."

"That should be his catch phrase," Natasha said with a sigh. Wanda was about to doze off again when an announcer stated that the interview with Captain America was coming up next. "He was really nervous about how they'd edit this thing when we talked last night."

Maria laughed. "As if Steve could say the wrong thing."

"I know you coached him, but he was still nervous about telling the world…"

"Shhh," Wanda hissed as the program resumed.

After a brief introduction, the interviewer, Laurie Boothe, immediately said, "I guess the first thing we should talk about is Freckles. He has really become the public face of the Avengers in the past months, hasn't he?"

Steve smiled and settled into his chair a little. "Yeah, he's a really great dog. He's mellow, he likes everybody, he loves to play…everyone at headquarters is just crazy about him."

"He has a very popular Twitter feed and I understand he has over a million friends on Facebook."

"Well, I'm not really up on everything he gets up to on the internet, but he does seem to be very popular."

"Does he have his own space at Avengers' Headquarters?"

"He really has the run of the place. He's got dog beds in several strategic locations, but sofas and beds are fair game."

"Does he ever sleep with you?"

"Only every night," Steve replied with a goofy grin.

"He knows who the Boss is."

"Well, as I understand it, dogs are drawn to the person they perceive as their pack leader. I will say that he's much better than a hot water bottle."

Boothe laughed. "I'm sure there are plenty of women who wouldn't mind being in your bed. Speaking of which, you must be expecting me to ask about your relationship with Agent Romanoff."

"You're the news person," Steve replied with a shrug. Wanda knew he had rehearsed his answers to any possible questions about his relationship with Natasha, but he seemed to be defensive.

"Right. Of course. Given that she released a vast amount of SHIELD data a few years ago, I suppose you are aware of her past?"

He paused before providing a wary, "I am."

"And I assume you've been briefed on the extensive history of the Cold War and Russian relations with the United States."

"I've done a lot of research, both government-provided and independent, since I've been, uh, back. I read. I have internet access. I'm not living in a bubble. I know what people are saying."

Booth nodded sympathetically. "Of course. You have access to some of the best intelligence in the world. Given that, you can understand why there has been some speculation about the influence of Russian interests in…"

"Let me stop you there," Steve interrupted. "I'm not ignorant of the history between the US and the Soviet Union, or Russia. I know I'm not a Harvard historian, but I understand the tension in the past. I didn't live through it, but I certainly appreciate the, uh, the history there."

"Then you understand why many Americans question your choice to become romantically involved with a former Soviet agent?"

Steve visibly clenched his jaw. "Natasha is the strongest person I have ever known, mentally and emotionally, and she'll give anyone a hard match physically. That's not the most important thing, though. You have to understand that she was raised in a really tough environment. She was indoctrinated from birth. Rather than focusing on her past, I think we should concentrate on the fact that she overcame all that to become a person who defends freedom and autonomy and…she's an Avenger. She fights with all of us to ensure justice and liberty and…"

"I'm not questioning Agent Romanoff's qualifications," Boothe interrupted with a smile. "I just wonder, with a significant proportion of Americans, according to recent polls, if she is the right person for Captain America to pair himself with…"

"I can only say that…it's obvious they don't know Natasha." Steve took several deep breaths before continuing, "I'm not so naïve to think my private life won't be analyzed like some celebrity's, but the fact is that I'm going to marry her and if that means I have to give up the title of 'Captain America,' that's fine with me. I'll continue doing my job with the same sense of pride and duty I always have."

"I'm sorry, but did you just say that you and Agent Romanoff are engaged?"

"Yes. I'm going to marry the woman I love."

Steve was suddenly speaking live, in the lounge, as he leaned over the back of the couch and embraced Natasha, "I meant every word."

"Shh. My fiancé is on TV saying lovely things about me." She reached up to hold him and he buried his face in her neck. The show went to a commercial break on the sudden revelation that Captain America was engaged to Black Widow. She turned to nuzzle against his cheek, sending a warm feeling through Wanda. "What happened to spending the night at the Tower?"

Wanda missed his response as Freckles suddenly realized Steve was home and bounced over to greet him. Natasha suddenly looked less pleased. Still, she stood and led him toward the door.

Sam tried to avoid her as he walked in, looking down at the floor. "Oh, hey. I, uh, is Maria around?"

Maria waved from her spot on the sofa, but Natasha grabbed his hand and guided it to her backside. "Sam, there is nothing wrong with appreciating natural wonders."

He stared at his hand with a look of horror. "This is _not_ happening."

"You're allowed to appreciate it." Natasha let go of his wrist, and he drew his hand back as if he'd touched a hot stove. "I'd only be insulted if you didn't admit to liking what you saw. Are we cool?"

Sam didn't look sure, but nodded. "We're cool."

"Good." Natasha walked out of the lounge, followed quickly by Steve and Freckles.

Sam walked over to take Natasha's vacated seat on the sofa, throwing an arm around Maria's shoulders as he sat. "Damn." His eyes suddenly popped open very wide. "I mean, damn, I can't believe Natasha just did that."

"Relax, flyboy," Maria said, patting his thigh. "We've been drinking."

"Uh huh." He tipped his head to peck her cheek, then worked his way down her neck. Wanda had to admit that the two of them were starting to emit their own glow. She could certainly feel the familiar prickles of love.

Maria suddenly stopped Sam's attentions. "Why did you all come back early?"

"We didn't all come back. Vision is helping Stark work out some kinks with FRIDAY and Rhodey had a date with some chef he met. If she looks anything like her photos…" he trailed off, then continued, "She's only half as beautiful as you are."

"Sam…"

They were walking out of the room when Wanda remembered something important. "What about Bucky?"

"He drove back with us," Sam replied, before disappearing around the corner with his arm supporting Maria.

Wanda huffed to the empty room. On television, Steve said, "I just hope we can all be of service for a long time. That's my ultimate hope."

 _60 Minutes_ ended with a brief preview of the stories they were working on for next week. Wanda began to flip through the channels, feeling less drunk and more awake. She had settled on a trashy reality show when Bucky suddenly dropped onto the couch to her right. "Hey."

"Hey," she replied.

"How did Steve's interview go? He was freaking out about it."

"I think…I think it went well. The part I saw, anyway." She didn't mention that she had missed most of the interview when Steve, then Sam had arrived to lead her girlfriends away. "I am sure it is available online or that we…" she paused to press a few buttons on the remote, "Yes, we recorded it."

"I'm sure it'll be all over the news tomorrow. Captain America and Black Widow? Everyone'll be talking about it."

"It is strange that something so commonplace for us is so new to the rest of the world."

"Isn't that the case with most Avengers' stuff?" He picked up the half-empty vodka bottle and drained the remainder. Smacking his lips, he set the empty bottle on the coffee table. "Dr. Banner is the Hulk, right?"

She tried not to be thrown by the abrupt change in topic. "Yes."

"Well, he's in New York. Steve didn't seem too happy. Can't say I blame him, assuming the YouTube stuff hasn't been altered."

"Steve and Natasha will be fine." She ran her hands through her hair, realizing that Steve and Sam had both returned to HQ to spend time with their girlfriends. "Why did you come home?"

"Well, it's _home_. Nothin's keepin' me in the city. I'd rather be here."

She nodded, flicking through the channels until she came to the late football game. "Interested?"

"Seahawks and Ravens are just birds, as far as I'm concerned. Hell, I agree with Steve that the Giants should be playin' baseball at the Polo Grounds, if it still existed. 'Course, I'd still be rooting for the Dodgers if…Los Angeles is a fake city."

"People who live there would likely disagree."

"Yeah, well…real people live in New York."

Wanda shook her head, unsure of how to respond. She and Bucky spent the rest of the night watching football, football highlights and football analysis. She still had no idea what the game was about when he gently guided her to her quarters early the next morning.


	19. Chapter 19

Wanda squatted behind a pile of logs, allowing several drones to sweep over her position before rising to disable them with several targeted bursts of energy. Steve suddenly dropped into cover beside her. "Nice shot. Shots."

"Thank you." She ducked closer to him, under the protection of his shield, as another formation of drones flew overhead, laying down fire. "How many are there?"

"I, uh, I asked Hill to send up everything we had. So…a lot."

"And Sam and Rhodey are grounded?" Vision was still in New York, helping Stark to upgrade FRIDAY while ensuring he didn't also kickstart the apocalypse.

Steve raised his shield over their heads again as the drones circled back around and he managed to hit one. "I thought that would make it more challenging."

"Do we need this much of a challenge?" she shouted over the pinging of rubber bullets against vibranium. "And is that why they are actually firing at us?"

"Hey, everyone has an abort switch if something happens."

"Which you know no one is going to punch unless one of those projectiles causes some serious damage," Rhodey said, collapsing beside the two of them. "Honestly, Cap. I'm all for hardcore training, but this seems excessive, even for you."

It was a tight squeeze for three people under the shield, but they managed to huddle together safely as the drones made another pass. Steve looked somewhat abashed as he said, "We need to be able to function as a team even if our technology has been compromised. We lost all air support in Peru and…"

"…and we did fine," Natasha finished, joining the small group as she leaped over the woodpile. She shot Steve a reproachful look, but asked, "Do we know how the drones are set to track us? Because if it's infrared, we're the biggest target on the map right now."

"Right." Steve seemed to reach out unconsciously to brush a leaf from her hair. "Ideas?"

"Crossfire?" Rhodey suggested. It was much harder to dodge the increasing attacks with four people. "If the drones are focused on us, we can light 'em up and leave the stragglers to the other three."

"That would be a lot easier to set up if we were using comms," Natasha muttered.

"Comms don't always work," Steve countered.

"Right." Natasha glanced around. "Okay, Team Sitting Duck, stay put and stay close to attract the drones. Fire at them if you have to keep their attention. I'll coordinate with Sam and Bucky to set up Team Save Your Asses."

"Nat, wait!"

Steve's cry went unheeded, as she had already taken off into the undergrowth. This was the hardest training exercise Wanda could recall since joining the Avengers. They almost never operated under live-fire conditions, as the risk had always outweighed the benefits. Granted, the bullets weren't designed to penetrate, but they still hurt like hell if they hit you. The sudden decision to shift from safer training methods had been Steve's. She wasn't sure what had brought it about, other than a certain tension he had been carrying since returning from New York and his _60 Minutes_ interview three days before. She squeezed her eyes closed as she pressed against his side when the drones came back. Steve and Rhodey were both firing, but she couldn't risk an appearance unless she erected an energy shield; she had mastered deflection, but had yet to discover how to produce a shield that allowed fire in a single direction.

She cowered safely under Steve's shield until she heard Natasha shout, "Now!" followed by a barrage of fire.

Within seconds, the only remaining danger came from the wreckage of flaming drones falling from the sky. A speaker mounted on a nearby tree announced, in Hill's voice, "All bogeys accounted for. Report back to base."

Wanda took a moment to breathe before taking Rhodey's hand to help her stand. "Thank you."

"No problem." He turned as the team gathered around them, saying, "I just hope Steve got the urge to kill us all out of his system."

"Does anyone else have bruises that might also have exit wounds?" Bucky asked as ambled up to them, rubbing his side gingerly. "Isn't there something we can use that's not lethal _and_ not painful?"

"Several things," Natasha replied with a pointed glare at Steve. She suddenly looked up as a quinjet whooshed overhead. "We should get back."

Wanda missed both the serious conversation between Steve and Natasha and the chitchat between her other teammates as she focused on jogging back to HQ. She was feeling slightly drained after the morning's activities. She noted that Bucky was trotting beside her, eyes forward. He had a tear in his pants just above his thigh, though he didn't seem to be favoring the leg. "You were hit."

"Yup."

"Are you in pain?"

"Had worse." His breathing seemed shallow. "Be fine."

"Perhaps you should go to the infirmary when we get back."

"Nah. I'm fine. Really."

"You do not have to…"

"Wanda, I'm fine." He flashed her a somewhat pained grin. "Wish we had those paintballs I read about, though."

Sam overheard him and took up the thread of conversation for the remaining distance, extolling both the training benefits and fun of paintball. The idea that the training exercise hadn't been entirely rational was confirmed when Hill met the team outside the entrance to the main hangar. "Stark just arrived."

"I'll meet him," Steve replied, clenching his jaw hard enough to crush a normal man's molars.

Natasha hung back as the rest of the team disappeared to take a break from their rough morning. Wanda waved Bucky away when he glanced at her. "Go get an ice pack if you will not see Dr. Cho." He rolled his eyes but nodded. Entering the hangar, she watched Steve and Natasha.

He paused before approaching the recently landed quinjet. "You think I'm gonna cause a Code Green?"

She smirked. "I think you might whip it out and start pissing on stuff to mark your territory."

"Who am I, Freckles?"

"I'm just trying to remind you how ridiculous it is to think that you've got anything to worry about."

"Noted."

"Seriously, though." Natasha pecked Steve's cheek. "You're adorable when you're jealous."

"I'm not jealous. I just want to make sure that _he_ knows I'm not and I've got no reason to be."

She rolled her eyes. "I'll get the yardstick."

"Not the way to reassure me."

"Idiot. At least take your helmet off." Natasha gave Wanda a pointed look as she walked off toward Ops. "Keep an eye on things for a few minutes for me."

"Sure," Wanda agreed with a smile, thought she wasn't sure she could keep the promise. She wasn't even entirely sure she knew what she was agreeing to. Although she certainly knew how to unleash the Hulk, there was no proof she could control him.

Steve didn't acknowledge her as he approached the descending ramp of the quinjet. Tony Stark appeared first. "Cap, always a pleasure, even if you've just wrecked a batch of training drones intended to last for a year. Not very sporting of you to use real bullets when the poor guys only have rubber ones."

Crossing his arms over his chest, Steve replied, "Make them better if you want them to last."

"Right." Stark pulled his hand back unshaken. "Guess I don't have to mention I brought Bruce along."

A man so dissimilar to his alter-ego peered down from the jet, causing Wanda to do a double take. She'd completely forgotten how unassuming Dr. Bruce Banner was. She nearly missed Vision's quiet greeting as he passed her. Banner emerged only on Stark's insistence, moving as if every step was taken through a minefield. He shook Steve's hand weakly as he stepped off the ramp. "Captain. Congratulations."

"Dr. Banner," Steve replied with matching stiffness. "Thank you."

"Relax, children," Stark said with forced cheerfulness. "Sure, it would have been nice if Steve had told us himself so we didn't have to learn it from Laurie Boothe, but kudos. We're all happy for you. No reason to make things weird. Hey, Maximoff."

Wanda nodded in response, matching Steve's level of reticence. She still wasn't overly fond of Stark and she didn't know Banner, but she knew the Hulk's capabilities. This was no time to let her guard drop. She stood behind Steve, still taking cover behind his shield even though it was on his back.

"Well, if the pleasantries are over…" Stark huffed with annoyance, but strode toward the entrance to the base. "You guys haven't moved the research labs, right?"

"Stark." Steve's tone was enough to stop all activity in the hangar. He lowered his voice, but still maintained that hard edge, "Is Banner in control? Because I can't allow anyone into the base that isn't…"

"I won't go near Natasha, if that's what you're worried about," Banner interrupted.

Steve bristled. "I'm not worried about her, but I don't know how the other guy handles rejection."

"I don't think…"

"Yeah, nobody around here does," Natasha interrupted. She walked up to Dr. Banner with her hand extended. "It's good to see you, Bruce."

After a pause, he took her hand and shook it. "You too."

"Everything going okay?"

"Pretty much. I've been staying busy. Um, congratulations on your engagement."

"Thank you. Are you going to be with us for a while?"

Stark interrupted the exchange, "Long as it takes to finish the project we've got cooking. And everyone can stop giving me that look because it's not AI related, unless you count Vision's occasional input. It's not even a weapons thing!"

"Then what are you doing?" Steve asked.

"Ask nicely and I'll tell you. What's the magic word?"

Banner spoke up, "We're trying to develop a practical alloy that will rival vibranium."

"Well, we won't keep you boys from your science fun any longer," Natasha said, walking away. She gave Steve a long kiss as she passed him. "Mmm. Lunch?"

He shot a final angry glance at Banner before following her. Wanda was on both of their heels when she heard Banner say, "Tony, really? I just wanted to meet the dog…"

* * *

The argument that had started outside the hangar had continued into the galley, enlightening Wanda about the reason for the tension between Steve and Dr. Banner. She'd had no idea that Natasha had had a brief romantic relationship with the latter. It was shocking and piqued her curiosity in uncomfortable ways. She wanted to ask so many intrusive questions. For once, the distraction of a lover's spat was a good thing. She was able to listen to Steve and Natasha's sniping with some amusement, since she knew (psychically confirmed, though she would never admit it) that it came from a place of love.

"So what if I don't like having him here? He can be dangerous. Besides, how would you feel if Peggy came to stay with us here?"

"Flattered that an elderly woman would want to sacrifice the comforts of an old-age home for the austerity of a military base?" Natasha replied, setting her tray down and taking the seat beside Wanda as Steve took the chair across from them, next to Sam. He, Rhodey and Vision immediately ended their conversation to listen as well. Freckles was under the table, begging each of them for handouts in turn and seemingly unaffected by the situation topside.

"I would hardly call Avengers' HQ 'austere.'" Steve took a bite of a thick sandwich to emphasize his point, though he now had to speak through a full mouth. "Besides, we're talking about seventy years ago versus two years ago."

"You're being an ass."

"I'm not…"

"A super-attractive, preposterously hot ass, but an ass nonetheless."

Sam thoughtfully sipped from a cup containing a thick greenish juice. "Lady's got a point, Cap."

Natasha snickered while Steve looked genuinely affronted. "Whose side are you on?"

"Aren't we all on the same team here?" Sam countered. "Plus you nearly got us all shot this morning because you've been pissed since you saw Banner on Sunday. Sorry if I'm coming down on the side of smokin' hot reason." He winked. "We don't all appreciate the same asses."

Natasha shook her head. "You get drunk one time and force a guy to cop a feel…"

"I am _so_ glad I stayed in New York on Sunday," Rhodey said with a sigh.

"And you still haven't shared any details about your date, so unless you're ready to spill…"

"Nat, you're one of the best spies in the world. Can't you get all that information without interrogating me?"

"I'm respecting your boundaries. She does have a clean criminal record, though." She looked around the table as all eyes landed on her. "What? I'm just being a good friend. There's already a Russian spy corrupting Captain America. Imagine the outcry if War Machine was compromised too!"

Steve reached for Natasha's hand to give it a squeeze, in spite of the fact that she was laughing along with the rest of the team. To distract from their moment, she asked the other guys, "Where is Bucky?"

"Dude took a couple of those rubber death pellets to the body. He said something about lying down with some ice packs before Steve makes another attempt on our lives."

"Better me than Hydra." Steve was still toying with Natasha's fingers across the table. "I'll talk to Hill about that paintball stuff, though."

After a moment of silence as everyone returned to their lunches, Vision said, "If you find it amusing, Mr. Stark has lately been concerned about a potential bald spot."

The table burst into raucous laughter. They were still there forty minutes later, joking and talking, when Steve suddenly stood. "Alright, everybody."

He was met with a collective groan from everyone but Vision, who was quick to excuse himself to aid Stark and Banner in the lab. Steve shrugged. "If that's how you want to use your afternoon off…"

"I do not require…" he trailed off as he realized everyone else was now considerably happier. "Ah."

Wanda patted his arm as she walked past him. "It is okay, Vision. At least you would not have felt pain if hit by a rubber bullet."

"It still sounds terribly unpleasant. Sam assured me that Agent Hill kept Freckles inside during the training session to prevent him from being injured." He looked toward where the dog was sitting at Steve's feet. "Shall I take our friend for a walk before I go to the lab?"

"Sure, if you want."

Vision snapped his fingers, attracting Freckles' attention, which had already been on him at the word 'walk.' "Come, boy." He smiled and petted the excited dog now bouncing around him. "Would you like to come with us, Wanda?"

"I am somewhat tired from training this morning."

"Of course. You should rest. Come, Freckles."

She watched as the pair disappeared around the corner before heading in the direction taken by a different pair. In her eagerness, she almost overtook Steve and Natasha, discussing their obvious plans for the afternoon off as they walked into their quarters. She approached the door across from theirs as soon as they were gone. Bucky answered on the second long buzz. "Hey."

"Hi. You were not at lunch so I wanted to check on you."

"Oh. Thanks."

She waited a beat for him to offer more, but had to prompt, "So how are you feeling?"

"Right. Sore." He rubbed a spot on his side. "Good call on the ice."

"I should have brought you a sandwich or something."

"Nah, I'm good."

Wanda felt a jolt as Steve and Natasha kicked off their afternoon across the hall with a shower. "Oh! Can I come in?"

She was pushing past him before he could agree to the idea. Or say no. Once safely inside, she realized that 'safely' may not have been the adjective she was looking for.


	20. Chapter 20

"Y'know, you're gonna give me the wrong idea, just bullin' your way in like that."

Wanda turned to look at Bucky, smirking by the door. She had never been in his quarters before, though she'd imagined it happening, maybe after a polite invitation for a drink or even just a blunt statement of intent. She decided to go with the truth and see where it led. "I did not mean to force my way in, but Steve gave us the afternoon off and you can imagine what's happening across the hall at the moment."

"Done and done." His smirk widened. "Of course, I'm only imagining half of that situation and it doesn't include Steve."

"Don't be a pervert."

"Just a guy who's breathing."

"Men," she huffed with mock exasperation. She glanced around the room, smaller than her own. It was fairly cluttered, but impersonal. The vast majority of clothing tossed around appeared military in style, along with a few historical books likely given to him by Steve. She picked one up and flicked though it casually. "Is it all right if I stay until…well, at least until they get out of the shower. If I can catch them between rounds, I should be able to make a run for it."

"Guess you're here for a good half-hour, then, at least. Lucky punk," he added in a mutter with a glance in the direction of the couple across the hall before realizing Wanda had heard him. He rushed to grab a pile of clothing off a chair. "Uh, do you wanna sit?"

"Thank you." She set the book down on a mostly empty shelf and sat.

"Sure." He tossed the pile he was holding into an overflowing hamper before repeating the process on the room's other chair and taking a seat. "I can put on a movie or somethin' if you want."

"No, it is fine. I was stopping by to find out how you were feeling after this morning, so…you can go into more detail than just 'sore.' If you want to, I mean."

"Well, it's…it's just some bruises." He lifted his t-shirt to display an angry purple blotch covering a substantial area beneath his ribs on his left side.

"Oh." She reached for it on reflex, catching her hand just before her fingertips made contact. "That looks painful."

"Uh-huh. You think that's impressive, you oughta see the one on my thigh." He immediately flushed. "That didn't come out right. I'm not gonna pull my pants down, so…don't worry. Sorry."

"I didn't think that's what you meant. I can see that I was just lucky not to be hit." She pointed to a bag of melting ice on a table beside the bed. "Did that help?"

"Yeah. I was kinda worried about it, but it turns out it's a good thing when there's no diaper involved."

She laughed with him, though the reminder of his potential to become the Winter Soldier at a moment's notice was unwelcome. It hadn't happened in weeks. It was hard to think about when Bucky was sitting there, looking at her with sad blue eyes. "Were you the only one hit?"

"I think Sam took one on the upper arm and Natasha got grazed when she was setting up the crossfire, but nothing too bad." He shook his head. "Those drones'd be pulverized if Steve knew she'd taken a hit."

"Well, the exercise was his decision." Wanda pulled her legs up onto the chair and rested her chin on her knees. "Did you know about Natasha and Dr. Banner? That there was something between them?"

"Not until Sam and I got an earful during the drive back here on Sunday." He ran his metal fingers through his hair, brushing it out of his eyes. "Man, the way he talks about it, you'd think it was some epic romance and not a short flirty thing. Far as I can tell, she never even slept with the guy. Can't understand why Steve's so worried. I mean…it's _Natasha_. Does he not see the way she looks at him?"

Wanda shrugged. "I don't think he is worried about Natasha. Remember what he said when you told him you were attracted to her?"

"Mmm." Bucky nodded, but refused to meet her eye. He seemed embarrassed. She was tempted to find out why without asking, but resisted. The thought that he was attracted to Natasha was unsettling to her as well.

Taking up another thought, she said, "You have not done much to make your quarters homey."

"Huh? Oh." He looked around. "Yeah. Not like I've got anything to…do, uh, you have any suggestions?"

"Me?" She thought of her own quarters, papered with family photographs she had managed to save from Sokovia, new photos of herself with the team, inspirational quotes, even a sketch of her playing with Freckles that Steve had done. "Well, it is your personal space. You could make it a little more personal."

"How?"

"Put up items that remind you of pleasant things, things you enjoy. Did you get anything at the football game?"

"Just food. I'm really more of a baseball guy." He frowned. "I'm not gonna turn into a Yankees' jerk, but I guess I could get something with the Dodgers? Are baseball cards still a thing?"

"Don't do it to make me happy. Decorate so you can enjoy your space."

"I don't think I need…I mean, I don't…maybe I'm not ready to start making this place too personal yet. It's been a long time since I had my own place."

She knew the feeling all too well. "That is sad."

"Yeah, well…leaving's never a problem if you don't have anything keepin' you someplace." His metal fingers made a strange sound as he tapped them against the wooden arm of the chair. "Might take me awhile to stop thinkin' like that."

"We are not going anywhere." His living hand was warm under hers as she grasped it. "You are home."

"Home…"

Wanda wasn't sure how long the next moments lasted, just that they didn't obey the usual rules of time. One moment Bucky was sitting back in his chair, the next he was leaning toward her, licking his lips. The distance began to decrease more quickly as she began to lean in as well. There was an infinite pause before their lips met. Then…she knew that tongues and interesting flavors and new textures had been involved, but there was no time to properly process them before it was over and he was suddenly standing on the opposite side of the room.

"Shit, I…I'm sorry. I…I don't know what…I shouldn't have…you should go."

"Bucky, I…"

"Please go!"

She wanted to tell him that everything was all right, that he hadn't crossed any inappropriate lines. She wanted him to know it hadn't been a Code Winter. Instead, she backed out of the room, pulling the door closed behind her. She stood in the hallway for a moment, breathing deeply. It didn't take much thought to determine that this wasn't something she would be able to pretend had never happened.

More than anything, she wanted to talk about it. When Bucky didn't answer her repeated requests, she turned to the opposite side of the hall. What was the point of having girlfriends if you couldn't rely on them in moments like this? "Natasha?" She pressed the buzzer again. "Natasha? Please?"

The door opened to reveal Natasha with damp hair and a towel wrapped around her midsection. "Everything okay?"

"I kissed Bucky," Wanda blurted out.

Natasha nodded slowly. "And where is he now?"

"His quarters, but why…?"

Her hand disappeared for a moment somewhere over the door and came back flicking out a long switchblade. She glanced over her shoulder. "Steve, take care of Wanda while I…" Wanda was unable to act before Natasha had punched an override code into Bucky's door and caught him by the neck as she rushed in. She was immediately shoving him back into the room with her knife at his throat. "What. The. Hell?"

"I…I…I…what?" He continued to back up until he was against the wall.

"You thought that you could take advantage of Wanda?" Natasha didn't notice that her towel had fallen to the floor halfway across the room. She continued to press her knife into his neck, causing a small rivulet of blood to run down his throat. "You thought you could just get away with messing with one of my friends and not have to deal with me?"

"Natasha, that's not what happened!"

She didn't relax her hold on Bucky. "Then why were you knocking on my door all freaked out?"

"I wasn't…"

"You were."

"Well, I didn't expect you to…"

"You buzzed me like an epileptic mosquito to tell me Bucky kissed you and you thought I would calmly stand and listen to you?"

Bucky's terrified stare flicked to Wanda. "You went straight to Natasha to tell her we kissed?"

" _You_ shut up!" Natasha pressed him harder into the wall. "Wanda? Explain?"

She looked at the floor to avoid Bucky's hurt gaze. "We kissed and I…I needed to talk to _someone_ and he asked me to leave so I thought…can you please stop threatening him?"

"Relax, Nat." Steve, who had been present but quiet up to this point, wrapped the towel back around Natasha's torso as he came up behind her. "Let's just relax and talk about this."

She slowly pulled back at his touch, maintaining her threatening posture as she did. "I'm keeping my knife."

"Sure, babe, sure. Just step back, okay?" Steve wrapped an arm around Natasha while holding up his own towel around his hips. "I'm sure there's a perfectly good explanation for this, right?"

Although he still appeared to be himself, Bucky's eyes were now darting around the room. "Naked women aren't supposed to be terrifying!"

Natasha lunged forward, prevented from inflicting damage only by Steve's embrace. "I'll get dressed and come back with a fucking machete!"

"I wanted to kiss him!" Wanda shouted.

The only sound in the room for the next few moments was heavy breathing. Natasha eventually said, "Steve, you can let me go."

"You're not going to try and kill Bucky?"

"No promises." She held her knife up and retracted the blade before handing it to Steve. "But you can hold onto that."

He took the knife, but didn't release his hold on her waist. "Wanda, Bucky? Do either of you have anything to say?"

"I am afraid this is all my fault," Wanda said. "I just…I wanted to talk about it right away and I didn't think about what you would think when I said that we had kissed and…it wasn't like what happened in the gym, Natasha. It was…"

"Not a Code Winter?" Natasha asked.

"No."

"Good. Work through your own shit and leave Steve and I alone until tomorrow morning unless the world is literally ending."

She grabbed Steve's hand and dragged him back across the hall, leaving Wanda alone with Bucky. She felt her face burning with shame. "I…I don't know what to say."

"Most people would start with 'sorry,'" he spat, pressing a wad of tissues to the small wound on his neck. "'Course I never kissed a dame who immediately put a hit on me, so maybe things are different nowadays."

"I didn't…I am sorry." She wrung her hands until her joints began to protest. "I just…you wanted me to leave and you didn't want to talk but I had to talk to someone and…I didn't think it through."

"You couldn't'a given me a couple of minutes to get my head together and come after you?"

"I…I should probably go."

"Yeah, just not across the hall."

"I am sorry." She paused before opening the door. "Can we agree to talk about this? Tomorrow, maybe?"

He grunted in response. She nodded and left, returning to her own comfortable room.

Bucky didn't join the team for dinner. Of course, neither did Steve and Natasha, leading to a spirited argument about where Freckles should sleep until Natasha appeared at the tail end of the meal to grab two plates and the excited dog. Before leaving, she gave Wanda a significant look. Wanda chose to ignore it. She skipped an invitation to watch a movie and cried herself to sleep, feeling very much like the kid everyone seemed to think she was.


	21. Chapter 21

Wanda wasn't sure how many times she could apologize or even how much longer she wanted to feel sorry for mistakenly setting Natasha on Bucky. Over the past two weeks, things between them had reached a level of coolness approaching his first days at Avengers' HQ, without the constant threat of a Code Winter. She certainly felt like he was freezing her out. Even Natasha seemed to be getting along better with him, which Wanda felt he was doing specifically to get under her skin, in spite of Natasha's reassurances.

It was manageable if uncomfortable when they were on base, but it became downright dangerous when they were in the field. She was distracted, plagued by doubts that he wouldn't have her back – or worse, that he _would_ save her from injury or death and nothing would change. Steve had noticed and told her, somewhat more gently than she felt she deserved, to get it together and help the team or stay home.

To that end, she was spending more time working with Vision, learning to use her powers more effectively. He had a calming effect on her, with his steady personality and quiet intelligence. Today they were in a field a fair distance from any buildings in the complex with a box of flashbang grenades as she learned to pause an explosion and move it to a safe distance before letting its energy disperse. She was glad they were using non-lethal ordinance; her first few attempts had been miserable failures. In spite the earplugs and dark glasses she was wearing for safety, the results had been uncomfortable. With Vision's encouragement, however, she was getting better. Her latest effort traveled several hundred feet, nearly to the treeline, before she could no longer hold the forcefield around it. The light and sound were far enough away not to bother her.

"You are improving quite rapidly." Vision picked up another flashbang from the box. "Now that you have mastered distance, perhaps you can work on other movements. Differing directions or heights, perhaps?"

"I will try."

"Shall I?"

"Please." She readied herself as he pulled the pin and tossed the grenade into the air. Only the smallest discharge was visible as she contained it and sent it flying safely away to detonate completely. The acquisition of a new skill was serving not only as a distraction from her personal issues, but was also providing her with a sense of satisfaction. She could imagine how much she could help the team in the field, preventing shrapnel wounds or even some of the property damage Stark was always complaining about covering from his relief fund. She smiled and nodded to Vision to indicate he should throw another.

To her surprise, he was floating in the direction she'd sent the last grenade. Pulling out her earplugs, she called, "What is it?"

"I heard something incongruous after the last bang."

With her ears still ringing from her first few poor attempts, she couldn't hear anything. She followed Vision on the ground at a jog. Her stamina was good, but telekinesis was as draining as any sparring session. Well, maybe not if she was sparring with Natasha. Or Steve. Or Sam, sometimes. Whatever. She had been caught up in the exhilaration of achievement and hadn't realized how ready she was for a break.

The image of how proud her teammates would be when they saw her new talent was wiped out of her head when she saw Steve stumbled out of the woods near where Vision had landed. She fell into a sprint, arriving as Bucky appeared with his metal hand clamped over his eyes. He was swearing loudly in Russian, a string of expletives that Wanda couldn't completely understand. Given his tone, she was certain she didn't want to.

Steve was already clasping Vision's shoulder. "We're okay. We were just surprised when it went off so close."

"I do apologize."

"It's not your fault. We were running and thought you guys were working farther away."

"I am so sorry," Wanda gasped, reaching toward Bucky before pulling her hand back. He was still struggling to regain his vision and she wasn't sure how affected his hearing was. This would be the absolute worst time to surprise him.

Fortunately, Vision had taken charge of the situation. "Is it just the two of you?"

"Yeah, just us," Steve replied leaning forward with one hand on his thigh as he rubbed his eyes with the other. "Wow. Glad I've never been on the receiving end of one of those things during a mission."

"Shall I call for medical assistance?"

"I'll be okay. Buck?"

Another flood of Russian curses poured from his mouth.

"Yeah, he'll be fine, too."

"That is most welcome news. It is fortunate that Freckles was not running with you."

Steve looked at Vision with some alarm. "He's back at HQ with Nat. But thanks for putting that in my head."

"It was not my intention to cause further distress."

"No, I just…my head's ringing a little. Maybe you guys could come back to base with us so Bucky and I can check in with Dr. Cho."

"Of course, Captain. I will retrieve the rest of the grenades." He waved his hand toward the two men. "Wanda, I will rejoin you in a few moments."

Steve reached out to grasp her arm as Vision floated away. "Hey, Wanda. It's okay. We're not hurt."

"We should still go to the infirmary."

"Lead the way. I've still got some after-images that make it a little hard to see."

"Do you need me to…hold your hand?" She glanced over her shoulder involuntarily, as if Natasha would suddenly burst from the bushes to unnecessarily defend her territory, but nothing was moving. "I mean, if you need me to."

"Not necessary. If you just stay a few feet in front of us so I can distinguish you that should be fine. Bucky? Okay?"

"Fucking peachy," Bucky spat, finally speaking as he slowly removed the hand covering his eyes. He blinked hard several times before glaring at Wanda. "Y'know, it's not like Natasha needs help to ambush me, if that's what you've got planned."

"I did not plan anything!" she shouted back, all the frustration and guilt manifesting as anger. She took off down the wide path at a faster pace than she had intended.

She heard Steve admonish Bucky about the flashbang being an accident before he caught up to her. "Don't listen to him. He's just being difficult." Steve lowered his voice. "He doesn't like the way things are between you two right now, but he's even worse about talking about feelings than Nat used to be."

Wanda didn't really want to consider Bucky's feelings when she was so conflicted. Still, she peeked over her shoulder to make sure he was following, if at a surly distance, before saying, "Vision was right."

"Wanda, you don't have to justify anything to me. It was a complete accident and everyone is fine."

"I meant that it is good Freckles was not with you."

"Oh, that. Yeah. He heard Nat say she was going to lie down after lunch and his afternoon was planned."

"I'm sorry, did you just say Natasha is napping?"

"Uh-huh. I thought it was weird too, but she said she feels like she might be getting a cold. Sam said he's getting congested, too." He shrugged. "Can't say I miss stuff like that. I hope no one hits us while half the team is bravely battling the sniffles."

"It is fortunate that at least two of us will not be sickened," Vision said, landing on Steve's other side with the metal box of flashbangs in his arms. "Does our newest compatriot have similar immunity?"

"Bucky!" Steve called, pausing as he caught up with a scowl.

"What?"

"Do you still get colds or the flu or anything like that?"

"Don't think so. But I can still get drunk if I put a little effort in."

Steve clapped his shoulder. "Are your ears still ringing?"

"Kinda. Should I be seeing halos around everything?"

"I think they're starting to fade."

"No thanks to…hey!" Bucky elbowed Steve back. "I was gonna blame advanced military technology, punk."

"Sure you were." The small group continued walking until they left the woods and walked onto the lawn in back of the main building. "Bucky and I are going to stop in at the infirmary. I'm sure you two have to check those unused grenades back in."

"Of course," Vision said with a nod.

As they walked in the opposite direction, Wanda could hear Bucky complaining about having to go to 'the damn hospital.' She was about to enter the hangar when Vision caught her arm. "You seem to be in conflict over Sgt. Barnes."

"With," she corrected, perhaps a little sharply. "I am in conflict with Bucky."

"That as well. However, I believe the latter would be easily resolved if you were to confront the former."

"And what do you suggest?"

"Please stop me if I am overstepping my bounds, but I believe you have romantic inclinations toward Sgt. Bar…toward Bucky, and they seem to causing you a great deal of emotion."

She briefly wondered if he had spoken with one of their teammates or if she were just that easy to read, but settled on a dismissive, "So?"

"In my admittedly limited experience, talking about an issue seems to have a positive effect. I am simply letting you know that I am always available if you would like to speak about this. Or anything."

After taking a deep breath, she said softly, "Thank you, Vision. You are a good friend."

"Ah. I believe that translates to a firm but polite 'no thank you.' My offer remains, should you decide you would like to talk. I should be getting these back to the quartermaster." He strode off into the hangar without looking back.

Wanda felt even worse. He had spent the afternoon helping her train and she had turned down his sincerity with no regard. Weighing her options, she chased him down rather than heading to the infirmary to catch Bucky. He was leaving the quatermaster's when she spotted him. "Vision, wait!"

"Did I drop something?"

"What? No."

"A poor attempt at levity, I admit." He smiled. "Shall we find a quiet corner?"

"We can talk in my room."

"Very well."

He ended up staying for hours as she complained, cried and worked through her feelings. She was feeling incredibly weary as she finally came to the conclusion, "I just…I look at Steve and Natasha…and now Sam and Maria, too…and I think that I want that with someone. I want to love so deeply that the rest of the world disappears. I had that with Pietro, but it was different. He was my brother. It sounds selfish, but I want even more. I want to love and be loved _and_ be in love. It sounds like so much, but when I see it every day…"

Vision nodded, still listening attentively after so much time. "And do you feel that you can achieve this love with Bucky?"

"I don't know."

"Let me rephrase – do you want to find out if you can achieve this love with Bucky?"

"I think so? I am confused. I really don't know." She leaned against his shoulder, closing her eyes. "How do I know?"

"Can you know without taking the risk to find out?" He settled an arm around her. She wished he gave off some body heat. "I cannot ethically advise you to choose one way or the other. I can only help you recognize your choices."

"Thank you." She sniffled and sat up. "I feel as if I have taken advantage of you. Is there anything you would like to talk about?"

"Not at the moment, but I will be sure to find you if something arises. Right now, I believe it is time for dinner."

It was sometimes hard to read Vision's facial expressions and Wanda found it particularly difficult in this moment. He was smiling, but behind it was something almost overwhelmingly sad. She wished he would tell her why, but decided not to press. She needed a good meal after the day she'd had.


	22. Chapter 22

Wanda had decided she was just going to go about her business as an Avenger and damn the torpedoes. She had been reading a lot of Steve's military history books lately as both distraction and education. She was working to expand her mind and her powers. Dedicating herself to training had yielded some palpable results. A recent action in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan had allowed her to demonstrate her new control of kinetic energy when she had saved a group of fleeing citizens from a terrorist bombing by sending the explosion into the atmosphere.

The news coverage of the event had been almost uniformly positive, even if Natasha had taken her aside to mention the potentially deadly effects of such action to any planes passing above. It hadn't been a reprimand so much as a warning not to get cocky regarding her skills. Wanda had responded by learning as much as she could about flight paths and cruising altitudes; she had been spending a lot of time with Vision on the borders of the Avengers' complex determining the best altitude to allow explosive energy to disperse.

Bucky had been avoiding her as much as possible. She was pretending she didn't care. Luckily for her personal life, global issues were on the rise. The team was on its way to their third call of the week.

Antiaircraft fire rattled against the quinjet as they flew through the rebel defenses over Kamenka, Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia. Natasha had been particularly edgy since they had been asked to intervene in the uprising of surprisingly well-equipped 'peasants' that had begun a few days ago. The Russian Army couldn't account for the surface-to-air missiles and high-powered weapons that had prevented them from retaking the town, prompting them to ask for the Avengers' assistance. Intelligence indicated that Hydra involvement was almost assured.

They landed with minimal damage in a small town square. They had been going over the map and their assignments for the past thirty minutes, but Natasha stopped them on the ramp. In spite of the fact that they were short a few degrees longitude, she declared, "Nothing good ever happens above the Arctic Circle. Everybody stay alert."

She was wearing her usual catsuit even though the temperatures were well below zero, worse with wind-chill. Wanda raised the hood of her fur-lined parka and stepped into the deserted streets of the town, thankful she had chosen it. Even Sam had sleeves today. He spread his wings and took off, heading south. The rest of the team moved into their prearranged quadrants; she and Vision traveled eastward, clearing the section of town least impacted by the fighting. They were responsible for moving any remaining civilians out of harm's way. She could hear gunfire in addition to the chatter on comms, but she forced herself to focus on the task at hand. Several groups of people were systematically reassured in her halting Russian and guided toward safer shelters. When they were reasonably sure their quarter of the town was clear, she shot herself into the air with Vision to join her teammates in the fight she could hear raging a mile away.

She landed beside Bucky and raised an energy shield to protect them both from flanking fire. He paused to jam a fresh clip into his gun. "You get the civilians out?"

"I believe so."

"Good. Think you can handle some more in those two houses on the corner if I cover you?"

She didn't hesitate before answering, "Of course."

"Three, two, go." They moved down the street under heavy fire as she held her force field. She didn't stop until they were safe behind a concrete traffic barrier. He emptied his clip into the opposing positions and reloaded. "Ready?"

"I will take the people southeast."

"Yeah, get 'em outta here." He thrust his chin toward a barrier across the intersection. "I'll be over there."

"Okay." Without any telekinetic protection, she ran to the first house. No one was on the first floor, but she spotted an open door leading down to a cellar. "Hey! Hello! I'm here to help!"

Her call produced nine wide-eyed faces ranging from adolescent to elderly. She inquired about the neighbors and found there were probably fifteen people in the house next-door. Leaving the first group crouching in the pantry with instructions to move on her signal, she made her way to the second house. She managed to convince a second group of people to follow her out the area, eventually leading everyone back to the square and toward safety.

Bucky was still firing on an entrenched position when she returned twenty minutes later. "What can I do?"

"I dunno. Kill those guys?"

She stood to send an energy wave at them, but dropped to the ground a moment later with a bullet in her arm. "Damn it."

"Stay here," Bucky shouted, looking slightly wild-eyed, before jumping over the barrier. All gunfire had ceased within thirty seconds. Why did he need her when he could do that? She nearly took his head off with a burst of energy when he reappeared unexpectedly. "You okay?"

"Fine."

He glanced doubtfully at her arm, but said, "Good. Let's find everyone else."

She was about to argue, but ended up following him toward the sound of more fighting. She felt she hadn't done anything when Sam was flying her back to the quinjet a few minutes later. "I can help," she protested as a medic tried to force her up the ramp.

"It's okay, Wanda. We got this." Sam took off into the smoky air.

An injection muted the pain in her arm while the medic muttered about the bullet nicking to her brachial artery. Wanda ignored the occasional odd pressures as the medic worked, instead trying to follow what was happening in the battle. The team had found the Hydra stronghold and now it was just a matter of clearing it. She flinched at the sound of an unexpected explosion that was audible even without her earpiece.

"Did that hurt?"

"I don't know."

The medic looked at her strangely. "You don't know if your arm hurts?"

"What? It's fine." She covered her ear to try to pick up everyone's voices over the static and chaos. It didn't take long to realize the base had been destroyed, probably via a self-destruct system, and that the team was had been close when it had happened. At least they were all alive. She could hear Rhodey calling for medics. "We need to go help."

"You need to sit still and let me finish bandaging your arm. The Russians are providing ground support and they're on the way over there now. As soon as I finish with you, I'll take my kit and go find the team while you stay here not bleeding out. Understood?"

She was about to argue, but she was hit by a sudden dizzy spell. "All right, but hurry."

Waiting was torturous, but she couldn't even stand. Trying to make her way to the team would just put her and anyone who helped her in danger. She made herself sit and tried to distract herself from the pain in her arm as the local anesthetic wore off. She was feeling slightly woozy an hour later in spite of fluids still dripping into her IV line when the rest of the team finally arrived.

"We have sustained some casualties," Vision said, helping Sam up the ramp although he also seemed to be carrying three of his own severed fingers. He had once told her that he was usually quite thankful for his inability to feel physical pain. Sam clearly felt could feel pain as he collapsed into a seat, clutching his ribs.

Rhodey seemed to be moving stiffly, but was not visibly injured as he boarded the jet and stepped out of his suit. Bucky had bandages wrapped around his arm and torso, blood already beginning to seep through in the area of his stomach. He sank heavily into the seat beside Wanda with a tired grunt. She hesitated for only a moment before asking, "Are you okay?"

"Took some shrapnel in the explosion, but I'll live. How are you?"

"I'm…oh, God."

Steve had just limped into the jet, cradling Natasha in his arms. There was blood everywhere. Wanda could barely believe how pale she looked when he set her on the cot. In spite of her condition, Natasha was conscious. She mumbled something quietly that made Steve smile. He turned to Wanda. "She said girls' night is cancelled this week."

He stepped back to let the medics work. Wanda had the feeling that everything would be all right, but it may have been due to blood loss. She leaned against the solid body beside her. She didn't have the energy to think about how she felt about Bucky right now; she just needed a little support. He didn't shrink away from giving it.


	23. Chapter 23

Perimeter check was generally viewed with distaste, but today was different – it was the first day the whole team was healthy enough to participate in the early morning exercise after the mission in Kamenka had concluded. Wanda would be lying if she said the two days when most of the team had been confined to the infirmary hadn't been kind of fun, but superhero sleepovers lost their charm when due to injury. Besides, there was something about being surrounded by her very capable colleagues that made the job of saving the world that much realer.

The two-mile warm up was usually completed at an easy pace by the team while Steve rushed ahead. This morning, Wanda forced herself to the point that she was gasping when she stopped at the first checkpoint where he was waiting.

"Hey, Wanda. No need to sprint." He looked at her with some concern, even though she had healed from her single wound quickly and had barely spent any time recuperating. "You okay?"

"Fine," snapped between heavy breaths. She was more annoyed by her loss of fitness than anything else, so she made an effort to smile as she asked, "Did Natasha get a late start? I did not see her."

He frowned. "She wasn't feeling well this morning. She and Freckles went back to bed."

"That is not normal." In spite of her wounds, Natasha had been out of the infirmary almost as quickly as Wanda had. Sam had been laid up the longest with a serious concussion on top of broken ribs. "Is it her injuries?"

"Nah, those are better." Steve shifted from one foot to the other. "She wasn't feeling so good yesterday morning either. I'm sure it's just the flu or something. Glad I'm immune, but I still feel bad."

"That's natural. I remember how I felt whenever Pietro was sick…" She trailed off. When had she gotten to the point where she could casually mention her brother? The realization that she could do it was harder to accept than the memory. "Sorry."

"It's okay. You can talk about him if you want. He was a good guy."

"You barely knew him."

"Well, we had a good flight from Seoul to New York." Steve smiled at her in a disarmingly sincere way that reminded her of the conversation that had taken place during said flight. "And he did the best he could to save the people Sokovia. Even if I hadn't known him that would have told me a lot."

"He was not a soldier."

"He saved a lot of innocent people." He looked down at the ground. "But maybe I've got a naïve definition of what a soldier does."

"I think you are considering all good men as soldiers."

"Well, times have changed." He looked toward the trailhead as the rest of the group began to arrive. "Still covers a lot of the good guys, though."

She ignored the fact that Steve was looking pointedly at Bucky. "Push-ups?" she suggested with false cheer.

"Push-ups," Steve echoed loud enough for everyone to hear, prompting the team to drop.

Wanda fell into sync with everyone else on the ground. She noted that Bucky was next to her, pretending to be having trouble matching her pace. Although she was breathing heavily as she approached thirty, she said, "You don't have to go slow for me."

"'m not," he huffed. "Doc wouldn't let me work out at all until I was healed. Somethin' about risking a Newman thorax."

"Pneumothorax?"

"Yeah, like I said." He finished his set of push-ups just before she did, jumping to his feet and holding out his hand. "That make your arm sore?"

She let him help her to her feet and forced herself not to rub the area where her wound had been. "I feel fine. Just sore from too much downtime."

"And we've only just begun," he said with a grin and a wave toward Steve, who was getting ready to run down the trail. She dropped to a spot between Rhodey and Sam, who was bringing up the rear with Hill. She was also doing perimeter check with the team today, supposedly because she wanted to improve her conditioning, but everyone knew she was keeping an eye on Sam to make sure he had really recovered fully.

Wanda refocused her attention on Bucky as he stretched and asked, "So…how's it going?"

"All right."

"Good."

"Sure."

"Um…"

"Yes." Wanda thought she would be spared any further discussion as their run resumed, but Bucky fell into step beside her.

"You…uh, you know where Natasha is?"

"Steve said she was not feeling well."

"Oh. That's…different."

Wanda nodded, but didn't say a word.

The team had completed six kilometers, jumping jacks, squat thrusts and sit-ups before Bucky spoke again. "So, I, uh, I heard there's a place a few towns over. It's a special, well, uh, it's not Sokovian food, exactly, but they make Latvian and Polish stuff, which I know isn't the same, but….um…." He got his metal hand stuck in his hair as he tried to comb it off his forehead. "I was just thinking, maybe, if you wanna…"

She couldn't find the words for the next few minutes, so she ran. She ran away from Sokovia, Ultron and her parents. She ran from her decisions and from the consequences. She ran from Strucker and genetic experimentation. She ran from Pietro. When they arrived back at HQ, she hadn't finished running yet.

Bucky was still standing outside when she finished a few extra laps around the inside fence. Wanda pulled up before the door, not paying attention to the puddle in the path. Her foot was bending beneath her on the slick surface, ankle twisting as she tried to brace herself. His metal arm was solid as she managed to stand. "You okay?"

"I would love to have dinner with you," she blurted out.

"Oh. Great."

She tried to take a step, but ended up in his arms again. "Maybe I should see Dr. Cho before we make plans."

"Right. Sounds good." He wrapped his arm around her waist as she started to limp to the door with his assistance. "Uh, not _good_ , I mean, but….you should probably get that looked at, is all."

"I know." She smiled to let him know that he wasn't the only one feeling awkward.

They walked into the infirmary just in time to see Steve wrap his arms around Natasha and pull her off the gurney she was sitting on. Wanda heard only one word before she was overwhelmed by their shock and happiness.

 _Pregnant_.


	24. Chapter 24

It had taken the team roughly three hours to go from happy to insanely wound-up once the news of Natasha's pregnancy had gotten out at HQ. The energy had shifted but not diminished over the past two months, with Natasha participating in operations over comms only at Steve's insistence. She had argued that he was being overprotective until the whole team had demonstrated an unusual response to keeping the stubbornly independent Black Widow safe at all costs during a routine mission in Mauritius. The objective had been completed and she had grumbled from Ops ever since.

The media had noted her absence over the past weeks, but had accepted the press release about a lingering orthopedic injury. She and Steve weren't ready for the world to know all their business.

The world, for its part, was currently quiet, so Sunday had been judged ripe for a girls' day. Wanda had already dragged Natasha and Maria into several stores outside their normal interests at the local mall as she tried to temper her excitement without success. Baby clothes were quite possibly the cutest thing she had ever seen in her entire life, including Freckles. And it was really their fault for inviting her on a shopping trip 'for boots.' As if any of them needed more shoes! That was like saying they needed to go leather jacket shopping! She wondered if it was possible to lose one's mind over cartoon bears, frogs and dogs.

"You really need to calm down, Gummi Bear." Natasha seemed more annoyed than anything else as she diverted them from the ladies' room into the children's department in Macy's. "We don't even know if it's a boy or a girl. Steve doesn't even _want_ to know because that would spoil the surprise. He's busy panicking about planning our wedding, anyway. Apparently we're going to hell for having a child out of wedlock, as opposed to every other reason I'm going to hell." She picked up and put down an impossibly adorable layette set without really looking at it. "Shouldn't we be dress shopping? Your big date with Bucky is this weekend. Why aren't you all about that?"

"It is just dinner and a play." It was technically their fourth official solo date, but the first Wanda really would be dressing up for. After a few lovely dinners at casual places close to HQ and some double and triple dates with their friends, Bucky had purchased tickets to _Romeo and Juliet_ at a regional repertory company's theater. She was a little nervous – they'd only kissed goodnight after each of their dates so far, after all – and that seemed small in comparison to Natasha's current wedding/baby situation. She redirected the conversation, "What about dress shopping for you? I know you could wear a burlap sack and Steve would be thrilled to marry you, but how can you not be excited about this?"

"I am excited," Natasha eyed the ducky-patterned, satin-trimmed blankie Wanda was holding up for inspection, "but that's just a blanket."

"It is not _just_ a blankie! Blanket, I mean. We are talking about your firstborn child! This is…it's…" Wanda ran her hand over the soft fleece. "Can I be Auntie Wanda? I don't want to be too forward, but…"

"You're already family. Don't worry." Natasha looked around. "Where is Maria? If she's in the shoe section already, so help me…"

"But look at the little…" Natasha's fingers dug into Wanda's arm as her friend pulled her from a rack of embroidered onesies. "But…"

"Look, I'm going to be stuck in maternity clothes soon, so the least I can have is cute shoes." They found Maria a few minutes later, holding a high-heeled calf boot. "Please tell me you aren't trying those on!"

"Jealous?"

"Yes! Wait, the black or the light brown?"

"Black."

"Then I could still get the brown without it being weird."

"Would it matter if you both had the same boots?" Wanda asked, already knowing the answer.

They both glared at her. "Yes."

Many fittings and one argument with a salesgirl later, Maria had two new pairs of boots, Natasha had one pair of heels and Wanda had a headache. She was about to suggest heading back to the baby clothes when Maria asked, "Shouldn't we be getting you an outfit? You're going out with Bucky this weekend, right?"

"I…yes, but I don't need…"

"A dress?" Natasha interrupted. "I agree. Shakespeare in a theater means you need a somewhat conservative skirt and a top."

"Then shoes," Maria added. "Unless you saw something we have to coordinate with."

Wanda had no idea when she had been dropped into an episode of _Sex and the City_ , but she didn't particularly like her badass colleagues being so…actually, she didn't mind them in shopping-mode, but she really didn't like that they couldn't be distracted from her love life. "Why don't we get lunch first?"

"Yeah, I could eat." Natasha rested a hand almost unconsciously on her not-quite belly bump. "I definitely miss boozy girls' nights, though."

"Who said we're stopping that? The rest of us don't have to suffer just because you can't drink," Maria replied. "In fact, I think there's a pretty good pizza place here with cheap pitchers of beer."

"You and Wanda are going to split a whole pitcher?"

"Don't be ridiculous." Maria grinned. "Wanda will have to get her own."

They settled into a booth near the back when they arrived at the noisy restaurant, ordering a pitcher of beer, soda and two pizzas after Maria argued that the Veggie Supreme counted as healthy, so they should get a Meat Lovers as well. Wanda couldn't help smiling behind her glass of beer a few minutes later as she saw Natasha watching a couple with a baby and a toddler. The mother was helping the little boy color on a placemat while the father was trying to feed the baby, who was more interested in pounding some plastic keys against the tray of her high-chair. "Like looking into the future, hm?"

The baby took that opportunity to spit up something green that landed on her brother's coloring, setting off an instant tantrum. Natasha turned away with a pointed look at Wanda. "Very encouraging."

"Well…" Wanda could only pretend the baby hadn't started crying at high volume too. She raised her voice slightly, "So, Maria, when will Helen be back?"

"Not for another month, at least. Her team in Seoul is on the verge of a breakthrough in something with big science words. Her assistant used the word 'revolutionary' at least six times when I left a message for her the other day, but it's possible he didn't speak fluent English."

"Did he say 'hyeogmyeong'? I think that's Korean for revolutionary. Or maybe it's just revolution. I only know some key words in Korean."

"In whose dictionary is 'revolution' a key word?" Maria bit her lip as soon as she had finished. "Right, KGB. Sorry."

Natasha just shrugged. "It's fine. Actually, it's kind of nice some people think of me as normal now. I remember when I first joined SHIELD you'd only talk to me to communicate orders from Fury and every time you looked at me it was like you were expecting me to knife you."

"I think I was." Her hand stopped in the middle of reaching for her beer. "You're not thinking about that now, are you?"

"It's my day off. I'm barely armed." She seemed to be on the verge of showing off one of her concealed weapons when the waitress arrived with the pizzas. "This smells amazing."

"Pizza is the perfect food," Maria declared, taking a piece of the veggie pie. "Like a meal on an edible plate."

"Deep shower thoughts?"

"Hey, we don't all sing showtunes while we shower, Romanoff."

Natasha tried to come up with a comeback as Wanda almost choked on a bite of pizza. She managed her plea before she had to cover her mouth with her napkin, "Tell!"

"It was really late and I had just gotten back from a mission and I was humming in the shower…"

Maria interrupted, "She was belting out 'Defying Gravity' in the locker room at the Triskelion. One of my biggest regrets is that I didn't manage to get a video."

"Is that when you decided to be friends?"

"No, that was when she found out how cute she looks with bangs after I slipped on the tile and missed cutting off her nose," Natasha replied.

Wanda laughed until she realized Maria was nodding soberly. She dug into her pizza without any more questions. The mood lightened again as she and Maria kept drinking, ordering another pitcher they couldn't finish. Natasha herded them out to the car right after lunch, balancing all of their shopping bags and the pizza box. "You do realize I'm carrying more than everyone's stuff, right?"

"We'll make it up to you by spoiling the kid," Maria said, tugging on the door handle. "Unlock. Unlock! Why doesn't this thing respond to voice commands?"

"Because I locked you out when you ordered the second pitcher."

"Smart. Good thing you haven't popped yet so you can fit behind the wheel."

Wanda dozed off in spite of Natasha and Maria's friendly banter on the ride back to HQ, not realizing that she really didn't have something to wear to the play until it was too late. Bucky didn't seem to mind that she was wearing a skirt he'd seen her in many times before when he arrived at her door with a bouquet of flowers, but he did seem to like the heels she'd borrowed from Natasha.

The play was good, dinner was better and the night was incredible. Wanda could only blush when Steve caught her leaving Bucky's quarters the next morning.

* * *

A/n: I relied on Google for the Korean word for revolution, so my apologies if it is incorrect.


End file.
